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SETTLEMENT    IN    THE    WEST 
SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER; 

WITH 

INCIDENTAL    NOTICES    OF    WESTERN    NEW- YORK. 

A   COLLKCTION    OF   MATTERS 

DESIGNED    TO    ILLUSTRATE    THE    PROGRESS    OF  ROCHESTER    DURING    THE 
FIRST    QUARTER-CENTURY    OF    ITS    EXISTENCE. 

INCLUDING   A    MAP    OF   THE    CITY   AND   SOME    RF-PRESENTATIONS   OF    SCKNERT, 
EDIFICES,    ETC. 

ARRANGED   BY  HENRY  O'REILLY. 


"  The  names  of  the  first  selllers  are  interesting  to  us  chiefly  because  they  were  the  first  settlers.  There 
can  be  little  new  to  offer;  and  what  can  there  be  interesting  to  the  public  in  the  lives  of  men  whose  chief 
and  perhaps  sole  merit  consisted  in  the  due  fulfilment  of  the  duties  of  private  life  ?  We  have  no  affecting 
tales  to  relate  of  them— no  perils  by  flood  or  field— n>  privations  induced  by  the  crimes  of  others  or  their 
own  imprudence.  The  most  that  can  be  said  of  them  is,  that  they  were  moral,  religious,  prudent,  quiet 
people,  who,  with  admirable  foresight,  made  the  best  advantage  of  their  situation,  and  who  lived  in  com- 
fort, begat  children,  and  died."  Gordon, 


ROCHESTER: 

PUBLISHED      BY     WILLIAM     ALLING. 
18  38. 


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PROGRESS  OF  ROCHESTER. 

'Scarce  thrice  five  suns  have  roU'd  their  yearly  round 
Since  o'er  this  spot  a  dreary  forest  frown'd  ; 
When  none  had  dared  with  impious  foot  intrude 
On  Nature's  vast  unbroken  solitude  ; 
When  its  rude  beauties  were  unmark'd  by  man, 
And  yon  dark  stream  in  unknown  grandeur  ran  ; 
When  e'en  those  deaf 'ning  falls  dash'd  all  unheard 
Save  by  the  timid  deer  and  startled  bird. 

"  Behold  I  a  change  which  proves  e'en  fiction  true — 
More  springing  wonders  than  Aladdin  knew  I 
How,  like  a  fairy  with  her  rnagic  wand. 
The  soul  of  Enterprise  has  changed  the  land  ! 
Proud  domes  are  rear'd  upon  the  gray  wolPs  den, 
And  forest  beasts  have  fled  their  haunts  for  men  ! 
On  yon  proud  stream,  which  with  the  ocean's  tide 
Joins  distant  Erie,  boats  triumphal  glide ; 
These  glittering  spires  and  teeming  streets  confess 
That  man— FREE  man— hath  quell'd  the  wilderness : 
Before  him  forests  fell — the  desert  smiled— 
And  he  hath  rear'd  this  City  of  the  Wild." 

(Priu  Ode  in  1826,  liy  Frederic  Whittltsey.) 


[Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1838,  by 

William  Alling, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  Southern  District  of  New- York.] 


THE    PEOPLE    OF   ROCHESTER— 

THE    LABORIOUS   ARTISANS    AND   THE    PRACTICAL    BUSINESS-MEN — 

THE   FOUNDERS    OF    THEIR    OWN    FORTUNES, 

AMD    THE    ARCHITECTS    OF   A   TOWN    WHICH   HAS    ALREADY    ATTAINED   THE    THIRD 
RANK    AMONG   THE    CITIES    OF   THE    EMPIRE    STATE — 

THESE    SKETCHES   OF    THE    FIRST    QUARTER-CENTURY    OF    ROCHESTER 

are  Bclrfcatctr 

BT   AN    INDIVIDUAL   WHO    CONSIDERS    THE    CAREER   OF    THAT   CITY   AS    ONE   OF   THS 
STRONGEST     ILLUSTRATIONS    OF 

THE   INTELLIGENT    ENTERPRISE    OF    THE    AMERICAN    CHARACTER. 


NOTE. 

The  origin  of  tins  volume  may  be  briefly  mentioned  here.  The  author,  having 
watched  with  much  interest  the  progress  of  Rochester  during  a  period  wherein  the 
importance  of  the  place  has  fully  quadrupled,  cheerfully  complied  with  a  request  from 
the  corporation  by  publishing  some  statistical  inforujation  concerning  "Rochester  at 
the  close  of  1836,"  in  a  manner  resembling  some  of  his  newspaper  statements  which 
were  collected  and  published  in  pamphlet  form  by  some  citizens  in  1835.  The  cor- 
diality with  which  the  i)eople  of  Rochester  countenanced  those  scribblings  iniboldened 
the  writer  toproiwse  the  present  publication,  and  induces  liim  now  to  believe  that  his 
fellow-cili7,ens  will  look  leniently  upon  whatever  defects  or  errors  may  be  discovered 
in  this  eflbrl  to  preserve  memorials  of  the  founders  of  Rochester  while  tracing  the 
progress  of  the  city  to  its  present  flourishing  condition. 

Some  matters  are  included  in  this  volume  which  may  not  be  considered  strictly 
relevant  to  the  main  purpose  ;  but  perhaps  an  excuse  for  their  inirodunion  here  may  be 
found  in  the  circumstance  that  many  of  the  facts  concerning  the  seltk-menl  of  West- 
ern New-Vork  are  not  readily  accessible  to  the  public,  and  are  not  as  fully  known  as 
they  deserve  to  be,  and  as  the  relations  of  Rochester  with  the  surrounding  country 
require  that  they  should  be,  aiuong  our  cili7.ens. 

The  undersigned  has  aimed  to  collect  the  testimony  of  early  settlers  and  others 
particularly  conversant  with  certain  subjects  ;  and  has  in  several  cases  published  re- 
marks from  such  sources  in  preference  to  those  prepared  by  himself  The  obligations 
under  which  he  is  laid  by  contributions  from  those  and  other  sources  are  acknowl- 
edged in  connexion  with  the  respective  subjects. 

Less  time  and  means  might  have  sutliced  lor  preparing  a  volume  less  local  in  char- 
acter, and  therefore  perhaps  fitted  for  more  general  circulation,  even  though  such  vol- 
ume had  embraced  no  larger  share  of  facts  respecting  Ihe  settlement  of  Western 
New-York  than  are  here  incidentally  imboriied.  But  the  light  in  which  I  view  the 
City  of  Rochester,  as  an  exemplification  of  the  energies  of  an  intelligent  people  under 
liberal  institutions,  and  the  good-will  with  which  these  and  Ibrmer  efloris  have  been 
seconded  by  the  citizens,  have  encouraged  me  in  a  task  wherein  their  approbation 
will  be  deemed  no  inconsiderable  reward. 

HiCNRY  O'RiCILLy. 

May  1,  1838. 


ERRATA. 

The  following  note  should  have  accompanied  the  meteorological  tables  included  in 
the  article  respecting  "  Climate,  Soil,  and  Productions,"  p.  51-6.  As  it  is  important 
that  the  circumstances  under  which  the  observations  were  made  should  be  known, 
the  attention  of  the  reader  is  asked  particularl>  to  lhisex|>lanation  from  Dr.  Marsh  : — 
"  Our  thermometer  hangs  upon  the  south  casement  of  a  west  window  in  the  secoiid 
story  :  it  faces  the  north,  and  has  a  free  western  and  northern  exposure.  The  regis- 
ters are  made  at  10  o'clock  A.M.  and  P.M.  We  have  ascertained,  by  comparisons 
with  others  in  the  city,  that  our  thermometer  is  not  influenced  by  the  direct  or  re- 
flected sun's  rays  at  the  time  of  observation.  The  barometer  (not  the  wheel)  is  one  of 
Donegaiii's,  London,  and  is  suspended  in  an  office  in  the  second  story,  fourteen  feet 
above  the  pavement.  The  registers  are  made  as  above  mentioned,  after  slightly 
agitating  and  then  adjusting  it  to  a  perpeiulicular." 

In  the  journal  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  p.  246,  the  rate  of  freight  between  Utica  and  Ca- 
tiaiidaigua  in  1810  should  read  82  50  per  cwt.,  not  $25  per  ion. 

In  page  295,  the  year  in  which  the  Monroe  Sabbath-school  Union  was  formed  should 
read  1826  instead  of  1825.  The  year  was  correctly  printed  on  the  previous  page,  but 
the  najne  should  read  Sabbalh-school  instead  of  Sunday-school,  as  there  given. 

An  error  occurred  in  the  folios  after  the  336th  page.  The  insertion  of  a  *  before 
the  (olio  will  notify  the  reader  of  the  fact.  There  are  about  sixty  pages  in  the  work 
more  than  appears  at  first  sight— making  about  480  instead  of  416,  the  number  on  the 
last  page— without  counting  the  engravings. 

The  firm  of  L.  B.  Swan  &  Co.,  is  omitted  in  the  list  of  druggists,  p.  *373. 

The  tragical  events  referred  to  by  a  *  in  page  362  of  the  appendix  are  noticed  on 
page  *3S4,  in  the  notice  of  the  first  cattle  brought  upon  the  Genesee  flats. 

In  page  344,  appendix,  for  Mahaknase,  read  Mahakuas  (Mohawks), 

There  are  some  other  errors,  typographical  and  otherwi.se,  which  the  reader  will 
prjbably  correct  in  passing.  Any  errors  of  importance  may  be  rectified  perhaps  in  a 
future  publication  respecting  the  Pioneers  and  Settlement  of  Western  New- York, 


INDEX  OF  THIS  VOLUME. 


The  CITY  OF  ROCHESTER  ;  brief  sketch  of  its  rise,  progress,  and  present  condi- 
tion, pages  23-36. 

CLIMATE,  SOIL,  AND  PRODUCTIONS  of  the  Genesee  Valley,  of  which  Rochester 
may  be  termed  the  capital,  37  ;  peculiarities  of  the  soil,  37 ;  Fiats  of  the  Genesee, 
38;  climate  and  prevalent  winds,  39;  influence  of  the  lakes  on  the  temperature; 
temperature  of  Rochester  and  the  Genesee  Valley  compared  with  that  of  other  sec- 
tions, 41 ;  adaptation  of  soil  and  climate  to  the  production  of  wheat,  42  ;  diversity 
of  soil  in  the  upper  and  lower  sections  of  Genesee  Valley,  and  elsewhere  in  Western 
New- York,  43 ;  falls  of  the  Genesee  at  Nunda  or  Porlageville,  ib.  ;  adaptation  of 
soil  and  climate  to  the  production  of  fruits  and  vegetables,  ib. ;  the  Rochester  fruit- 
market,  ib. ;  advantages  of  the  Genesee  Valley  for  the  culture  of  ihe  mulberry  for  silk 
and  of  the  beet  for  sugar,  44 ;  indications  which  the  forest-trees  afford  of  the  geological 
characteristics  of  the  county,  45  ;  the  granary  of  America  and  the  garden  of  the  coun- 
try, ib.  ;  further  remarks  on  the  influence  e.xerted  by  the  lakes  on  the  climate,  &c.,  ib. ; 
periods  remarkable  for  warmth  or  coolness,  46 ;  observations  of  Volney  and  Dwight 
on  the  climate  of  the  lake  country,  47;  tables  showing  the  temperature  of  Lake  On- 
tario at  different  periods  of  the  season,  48 ;  remarks  of  Mr.  M'Auslan  and  Professor 
Dewey  on  the  subject,  49  ;  thermomelrical  tables  for  seven  years,  51 ;  barometrical 
tables  for  the  same  period,  54 ;  quantities  of  rain  and  snow  which  fell  in  each  month 
for  seven  years,  55  ;  difference  in  temperature  between  Rochester,  and  Utica,  and 
Albany,  56;  atmospheric  phenomena  produced  by  the  refraction  of  sunlight  from  the 
great  lakes,  56;  beamy  of  autumnal  sunsets,  &c.,  57  ;  cuts  representing  the  refrac- 
tion of  rays  from  the  lakes,  60,  61,  62;  supposed  peculiarities  of  the  atmosphere  at 
certain  periods  for  producing  such  appearances,  63. 

GEOLOGY  OF  ROCHESTER  AND  ITS  VICINITY  : 
Remarkable  geological  features,  64  ;  Professor  Dewey's  remarks,  65  ;  the  ravine  cut 
by  the  Genesee  furnishing  fine  views  of  the  strata,  66;  red  sandstone,  saliferous 
rock,  and  salt  springs,  66;  height  of  the  coal  formation  at  Pittsburg  above  the 
canal  at  Rochester  and  above  Lake  Ontario,  &c.,  67  :  dip  of  the  strata,  fucoidea 
and  vegetable  remains,  gray  sandstone,  &;c.,  67  ;  appearances  of  the  red  sandstone, 
and  suggestion  of  Professor  Hall  respecting  its  apparent  rise,  68;  mountain  lime- 
stone, containing  encriniles,  trilobites,  &.C.,  68 ;  Professor  Eaton's  classifications, 
69;  argillaceous  .slate,  marly  slate,  petrifactions,  Ac,  69;  argillaceous  iron  ore,  its 
extent  and  value,  70 ;  ferriferous  sandrock,  chalcedony,  carnelian,  cacholong,  copper, 
petrifactions,  &c.,  71 ;  alternations  of  slate,  sandrock,  and  limestone,  72;  pleasing 
aspect  of  the  strata  in  the  banks  of  the  Gene.see,  72 ;  calciferous  slate,  or  second 
graywacke,  72;  large  quantity  and  variety  of  petrifactions,  72;  green  argillile, 
trilobites,  asaphus  caudalus,  &c.,  73;  height  of  the  Falls  of  Niagara  and  Genesee, 
73  ;  discovery  in  e.\cavating  the  bed  of  the  Genesee  for  the  new  aqueduct,  polished 
rocks,  mineral  springs,  vegetable  remains,  74 ;  flowers  on  the  banks,  calcareous 
tufa,  petrified  moss,  75;  geodiferous  limerock,  its  extent  and  value,  75;  representa- 
tion of  a  section  of  the  rocks  for  four  and  a  half  miles  on  Genesee  River,  77  ;  dilu- 
vium, 77;  erratic  groupe,  evidences  of  a  mighty  rush  of  water,  boulders,  remnants 
of  the  mastodon  found  in  Perrinton  and  Rochester,  78 ;  deposites  of  sand  for  mortar, 
glass,  and  brick  making,  with  clay,  79  ;  further  evidences  of  a  flood,  polished  rocks, 
«&c.,  79 ;  remark  of  Professor  Hall  on  the  extent  of  the  polished  rocks,  80;  alluvium, 
80 ;  the  Ridge  Road,  evidences  of  its  formation  by  the  action  of  Lake  Ontario,  its 
wonderful  peculiarities,  &c.,  81  ;  wood  and  vegetable  matter  found  in  the  ridge,  the 
supposed  submersion  of  Western  New- York,  &c.,  82 ;  remarks  on  Lake  Ontario 
connected  with  the  ridge,  83;  comparison  with  the  ocean-dikes  of  Holland,  84; 
transportation  of  boulders,  86;  retrocession  of  the  Fails  of  the  Genesee,  87;  car- 
bonate of  soda,  formation  of  common  salt.  <fec.,  88  ;  mineral  springs,  the  Monroe  and 
Longmoor  Springs,  88;  elevations  of  different  points  and  waters  as  compared  with 
objects  in  and  around  Rochester,  89. 

MEDICAL  TOPOGRAPHY: 

Influence  exerted  on  health  by  the  improvement  of  the  country,  90 ;  remarks  of  Dr. 
Coventry  on  the  diseases  of  the  Genesee  countrv  from  1792  till  1796,  92;  remarks  of 
Dr.  Ludlow  on  the  diseases  between  1801  and  1824,  !i3  ;  lake  or  Genesee  fevers,  no- 
tices of  1802-3-4. 94 ;  diseases  and  temperature  of !  805-6-7, 95 ;  do.  of  1808-9-10, 96 ; 
medical  peculiarities  of  1811-12-13,  97 ;  destructive  disease  in  1814,  and  remarks 


on  temperature  and  health  in  1815-16-17-18,  98  ;  pcruliariiies  of  1819-20-21-22-23, 
with  reinnrks  on  goiire  and  consumplion,  99  ;  remarks  of  President  Dwight  on  the 
health  of  the  (Jencsee  country  in  1804,  A;i-.,  100 ;  exeinplion  of  the  country  at  that 
time  from  pulmonary  complaints,  101  :  oontrasl  presented  to  the  past  by  the  pres- 
ent state  of  health  in  Rochester,  &c.,  102;  increase  of  consumption,  but  improve- 
ment of  health  in  other  respects,  103;  report  of  deaths  In  Rochester  in  1837,  and 
comparsion  with  mortality  in  other  cities,  104. 

THE  LANDS  OF  THE  SIX  NATIONS;  which  included  the  City  of  Rochester  :  No- 
tices of  treaties  and  laws  concerning  the  cxtlncli(m  of  the  Indian  title,  105 ;  first 
treaty  between  the  United  Stales  and  the  Six  Nations,  106;  Lafayelle  and  Red 
Jacket,  107  ;  tirst  land  acquired  by  the  Slate  of  New-Vork  from  the  Indians,  107  ; 
arrangements  between  New- York,  Massachusetts,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  general 
government  respecting  the  lands,  IOH;  lands  of  ihe  Oiinndagas,  109;  lands  of  the 
Oneidas  and  Cayugas,  110;  the  United  Slates  and  the  Six  Nations,  111 ;  New- York 
and  the  Oneidas.  Dnondagas,  and  Cayugas,  112;  treaty  of  Canandaigua  in  1794, 
113;  ackiiowled>;ed  boundaries  of  the  Seneca  nation,  113;  guarantee  and  presents 
from  the  United  Slates  lo  the  Sciiecas,  114;  Colonel  Pickering  and  Red  Jacket, 
Seneca  lands,  reservations,  ic,  115;  Ihe  Mohawks,  116;  the  Oneidas,  the  Itrother- 
town  Itidiaiis,  rights  of  ihe  Indians,  disposal  of  stale  lands,  117;  New-Slockbridge 
and  Seneca  lands,  118;  the  Senecas,  the  Oneidas,  1)9;  ihe  Cayugas.  the  Christian 
and  Pagan  Oneidas,  protection  oflhe  Indians,  120;  Seneca  lands,  relief nf  Indians, 
lands  of  the  Onondasas,  121  ;  Indians  of  this  state  in  1819,  efforts  of  the  government 
for  their  removal,  122;  last  treaty  with  the  remnants  oflhe  Six  Nations  for  the  j)ur- 
chase  of  their  lands  preparatory  to  their  removal  westward,  123  ;  lands  bought  (rom 
and  assigned  to  the  Indians,  124  ;  note  on  the  gratitude  oflhe  United  Stales  lo  the 
few  Oneidas,  ic.  who  were  friendly  in  Ihe  revolutionary  war,  125;  a  new  state 
projected,  125;  ihe  lessees,  the  Indians,  and  Ihe  Legislature,  126;  Phelps  and  Gor- 
ham,  (leneral  Mathews,  &c.,  127;  lessee  contracts,  number  one,  128 — number  two, 
129;  treaty  between  Plielps  and  Gorhani  and  the  Six  Nations,  130;  enterprise  of 
Phelps  and  his  associates,  131  ;  incidents  of  an  Indian  treaty  beside  Canandaigua 
Lake,  132;  Red  Jacket,  Farmer's  Hroiher,  &c..  133;  surveys  and  land  contracts 
devised  by  Phel|)s,  the  "  Article,"  &c.,  134  ;  controversy  between  New-York,  Con- 
necticut, and  Pennsylvania  respecting  lands,  135;  laws  against  Connecticut  claim- 
ants, 136;  suits  nf  Connecticut  against  New-York,  136;  proceedings  of  New- York 
and  of  Congress  respecting  the  Connecticut  claims,  137  ;  hnal  arrangements  of  diffi- 
culties respecting  lands,  138;  annuities  payable  lo  Indians  by  New-York,  138. 

SUBDIVISIONS  OF  WESTERN  NEW-YORK,  containing  some  particulars  oflhe 
principal  tracts,  &c. 

The  Hnllanii  Purchase,  deduction  of  title.  Sec,  140  ;  boundaries  oflhe  lands  to  which 
the  pre-emptive  right  was  ceded  to  Massachusetts  by  New-York,  141  ;  particulars 
of  sale  by  Massachusetts  to  Phelps  and  Gorham,  142 ;  sales  of  lands  to  Robert  Morris, 
the  great  financier  of  the  American  revolution,  143;  proceedings  of  Massachusetts 
Legislature,  144;  sale  of  the  reserved  "sixtieth  parts,"  144;  description  oflhe  first 
and  second  tracts  of  the  Holland  Purchase,  145;  third  and  fourth  tracts  of  said  pur- 
chase, 146;  the  Dutch  proprietors,  and  judgments  against  Robert  Morris,  147;  sale 
of  Morris's  lands  by  Sheriff  Mather  of  Ontario,  arrangements  by  the  Holland  Com- 
pany, 148;  Gouverneur  Morris,  Aaron  Burr,  Alexander  Hamilton,  and  others  con- 
cerned in  making  arrangements,  149;  conveyance  of  lands  to  Thomas  L.  Ogden, 
&c.,  the  million-acre,  800,000-acre  and  300,000-acre  tracts,  150. 

The  PuUeney  Estate,  150;  Captain  Williamson  and  Maude  the  English  traveller, 
151  ;  settlements  in  Western  New-York,  and  comparative  value  of  markets  for 
produce,  Baltimore  versus  New- York,  153  ;  seitlements  of  Bath,  Geneva,  ic,  153  ; 
Canandaigua  in  1792  and  1800,  154  ;  seltlernenls  made  near  Genesee  River,  at  Cal- 
edonia. Scoisville,  Big-Spring,  &c.,  through  the  intluence  of  Captain  Williamson, 
and  sale  of  the  "  Hundred-acre  Tracf  with  the  Allen  mill  to  Rochester,  Filzhugh, 
and  Carroll,  155. 

The  Military  Tract— set  apart  for  rewarding  revolutionary  soldiers,  156  ,  unsuccess- 
ful efforts  of  the  state  to  extinguish  the  Indian  title  to  the  lands  thus  designated,  and 
the  designation  of  another  Military  Tract,  157  ;  successful  arrangement  wilh  Ihe 
Indians,  and  division  of  the  lands  among  the  soldiers,  158;  sales  of  patents  for  lands, 
cheaply  and  sometimes  fraudulently,  and  commissioners  appointed  to  settle  con- 
flicting claims.  General  Mathews  being  one  of  the  board,  159  ;  value  of  the  lands, 
patents  for  600  acres  of  which  were  oflen  sold  for  $8 ;   160. 

The  Triangle  Tract,  the  millyard,  Aug.  Porter,  Le  Roy,  Bayard,  and  M'Evers,  160. 

The  Hundred  Thoicsand'acre  Tract,  owned  partly  by  Craigie,  Watson,  and  Green- 
leaf,  by  De  Witt  Clinton,  Sir  Wm.  PuUeney,  the  State  of  Connecticut,  &c.,  161. 

Bmindaries  alluded  to— "roperty  Line,  Pre-emption  Line,  Pennsylvania  Line,  162; 
lines  run  by  Maxwell  and  Jenkins,  errors  produced  by  the  compass  and  otherwise, 
the  struggle  for  possession  of  Geneva,  &c.,  163;  errors  in  Pre-emption  Line  cor- 


rected  by  Augustus  Porter  and  Joseph  Ellicott,  and  the  Pennsylvania  Line  run  by 
James  Clinton,  Simeon  De  Witt,  Andrew  Ellicott,  (fee,  164. 
Western  New-York  as  it  rvas  and  is— Albany  county  embracing  all  New- York  north 
and  west  of  Ulster  and  Dutchess,  Vermont  ere'  ted  inio  a  slate  from  parts  thereof, 
165;  erection  and  subdivision  of  Ontario  county,  which  formerly  included  all  west 
of  Seneca  Lake,  166  ;  dates  of  the  creation  of  counties  from  the  tract  whiih  origin- 
ally constituted  Albany  county,  167  ;  agents  for  the  principal  tracts  into  which  the 
land  west  of  Seneca  Lalse  was  divided,  168. 

PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT— from  the  Hudson  westward  to  the  Genesee  and 
Niagara. 

The  progress  of  settlement,  indicated  by  highways,  canals,  and  railroads,  168  ;  roads 
laid  out  in  1792  and  1794,170;  roads  in  1798-9,  when  Cayuga  bridge  was  built,  171  ; 
roads  in  1800-1, 172  ;  roads  in  1804  and  1810,  173  ;  roads  ordered  between  Genesee 
River  and  Lewiston  and  Buffalo  In  1810  and  1812,  174;  a  semi-weekly  stage  run 
between  Canandaigua  and  Rochester  in  1815,  private  mails  author  zed  to  be  run, 
and  the  expediency  considered  of  establishing  a  postroute  in  1816  between  Canan- 
daigua and  Lewiston,  by  way  of  tlie  village  ol  Rochester,  175. 

The  Canal  System— its  origin  and  progress,  r5;  remarkable  features  of  Western 
New-York,  176;  Ontario  route  to  the  lakes,  river  navigation,  &c.,  177;  exploring 
tour  and  views  of  General  Washington,  his  services  in  the  cause  of  internal  improve- 
ment, 178  ;  early  efforts  of  various  states,  181  ;  services  of  Christopher  CoUes,  who 
first  proposed  to  the  New-York  Legislature  the  subject  of  internal  improvement  after 
the  Revolution,  182  ;  Colonel  Robert  Troup,  General  Schuyler,  Dr.  Hosack,  &c.,  184; 
Gov.  George  Clinton,  Elkanah  Watson,  Lock  Navigation  Companies,  186  ;  projected 
canal  around  Niagara  Falls,  187:  Coldenon  the  Ontario  route,  188;  services  of  Gouv- 
erneur  Morris,  and  his  prediction  of  ships  sailing  from  London  to  Lake  Erie,  189  ; 
services  of  Jesse  Hawley,  who  wrote  the  first  essays  that  proposed  the  Erie  Canal  on 
an  inclined  plane  from  Niagara  Rive-  to  the  vicinity  of  Uiica,  190;  predictions  of  the 
effect  of  the  canal  on  New-York  and  other  cities,  191  ;  action  of  Congress  and  report 
of  Albert  Gallatin  on  the  policy  of  improvement  recommended  by  President  Jeffer- 
son, 192  ;  services  of  Joshua  Forman,  who  proposed  the  first  legislative  measure  for 
exploring  the  route  of  the  Erie  Canal,  192;  ridiculecaston  the  proposition,  193;  in- 
structions of  Surveyor-General  De  Wittto  the  Surveyor  Geddes,  193-4  ;  services  of 
Joseph  Ellicott,  and  his  letters  to  the  surveyor-general  urging  the  canal  policy,  J95 ; 
Ellicott's  remarks  on  the  route  between  Lake  Erie  and  Gene.see  River,  196 ;  singular 
theory  respecting  the  former  course  of  Niagara  and  Genesee  Rivers,  &c.,  197  ;  pe- 
culiarities of  tlieTonnewanta  Valley,  198;  Ellicott's  proposal  of  a  route  for  the  Erie 
Canal,  testimony  of  Micah  Brooks  respecting  the  efforts  of  Ellicott,  199;  ajiplieations 
made  to  Gov.  Tompkins,  De  Witt  Clinton,  and  others,  to  procure  their  countenance  for 
the  canal  policy  in  1809,  200 ;  examinations  of  James  Geddes  on  the  route  contem- 
plated for  the  t'.rie  Canal  by  Hawley,  Ellicott,  and  Forman,  201 ;  attention  paid  by 
Geddes  to  the  route  suggested  by  Ellicott  west  of  Genesee  River,  202 ;  report  of  Ged- 
des to  the  legislatun^  in  1809,  and  his  own  remarks  thereon  in  1822,  203  ;  services  of 
Thomas  Eddy,  Jonas  Piatt,  Gouverneur  Morris,  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  De  Witt 
Clinton,  William  North,  and  Peter  B.  Porter,  204 ;  remarks  on  the  first  board  of  Canal 
Commissioners,  2U5;  zeal  manifested  in  1810  and  in  after  years  by  De  Witt  Clinton, 
206 ;  Robert  U.  Livingston  and  Robert  Fulton  added  to  the  Canal  Board,  and  excel- 
lent character  of  Thomas  Eddy,  206;  Jefferson,  Gallatin,  and  Madison,  207;  course 
of  various  States  and  the  general  government  in  reference  to  the  proposed  Erie 
Canal,  208  ;  second  report  of  the  Canal  Board,  and  effects  of  the  war  in  retarding 
the  canal  enterprise,  209 ;  efforts  of  Eddy,  Piatt,  and  Clinton  after  the  war,  the  New- 
York  Memorial,  &c.,  210;  important  proceedings  of  the  Western  Convention  at 
Canandaigua  in  1817,  211  :  services  of  Myron  HoUey,  Gideon  Granger,  John  Greig, 
N.  Rochester,  John  C.  Nicholas,  N.  W.  Howell,  Robert  Troup,  &:c.,  212  :  Governor 
Tompkins  urged  the  coital  policy,  the  legislature  partially  sanctioned  it,  and  the 
Canal  Board  organized,  213:  memorial  for  aid  from  Congress,  drawn  by  De  Witt 
Clinton  and  presented  by  Micah  Brooks,  214  :  important  leglslat  on  on  the  canal 
question,  214  :  final  establishment  of  the  canal  policy,  215 ;  services  of  Martin  Van 
Uuren,  in  concurrence  with  De  Witt  Clinton,  in  establishing  that  policy,  216-17; 
Samuel  Young  and  Myron  Holley  commence  the  middle  section  of  the  Erie  Canal 
in  the  summer  of  1817,  218  ;  note  on  the  influence  produced  by  Jefferson's  recom- 
mendations in  favi.ur  of  internal  improvement,  218;  farther  efforts  of  Van  uren 
with  Colonel  Young  in  sustenance  of  the  canal  pol  cy,  and  a  letler  from  Myron 
Holley,e.\hibiiing  the  difficulties  which  had  to  be  encountered  in  extending  the  Erie 
Canal  westward  of  Seneca  River,  219;  jiroeeeilings  in  lettins  coniracts  in  1819, 
220 ;  tr  umphant  result  in  1820,  221  ;  surveys  for  the  canal  west  of  Genesee  River, 
222;  speed  with  which  the  whole  line  of  the  Erie  Canal  was  completed,  223  ;  cere- 
monies  at  Buffalo  and  Rochester  on  the  comiiletion  of  I  he  canal,  224-5  ;  names  of  per- 
sons prominent  in  constructing  the  canals,  296  ;  rate  of  transportation,  enlargement  of 
Ijjecaualjjfc,  227-8- g-^SO;  proceedings  at  Rochester,  Western  Convention  to  urge 


the  speedy  enlargement,  231-5  ;  extension  of  the  canal  policy,  list  of  canals  con- 
structed, 236-7  ;  Genesee  Valley  Canal,  238;  the  two  great  railroad  lines  from  east 
to  west,  239-40  ;  amount  of  the  Internal  Im|irovemenls  of  the  State  of  New-York, 
241 ;  the  prosperity  iif  which  the  growth  of  Rochester  is  a  striking  evidence,  242. 

STATISTICS  OF  ROCHESTER.— condition  of  things  prior  to  the  incorporation  of 
Rochester  as  a  village  in  1817,  244-5  ;  tour  of  De  Witt  Clinton  in  1810,  245-6 ;  the 
first  public  work  where  Rochester  now  stands,  and  the  first  white  person  born 
hereabout,  247  ;  character  given  of  the  Rochester  tract  m  the  legislature,  248;  ac- 
cidents in  crossing  the  river  before  a  bridge  was  built,  Indians,  wild  beasts,  &c., 
249  :  the  hearfight  at  Rochester,  250;  first  allotment  and  settlement,  251-2  ;  effects 
of  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain  in  retaiding  the  progress  of  Rochester,  253-4  ; 
relief  for  the  sufferers  granted  by  the  legislature  and  by  the  city  of  New- York,  255 ; 
movements  of  the  British  fleet  threatening  Rochester,  256 ;  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  iis  effects  ;  the  village  of  Rochesterville  incorporated  in  1817, 2.')8;  corporation 
of  itochester,  village  officers  in  each  year  from  1817  to  1834,  959  ;  first  election  un- 
der the  city  charter  in  1834, 260 ;  city  officers  from  1834  to  1838,  261-2 ;  the  mayors 
of  Rochester,  21.3-4-5-6-7-8-9-70. 

Religious  and  Socinl  Institutiotis— erroneous  impressions  abroad,  271-2 ;  character 
of  new  settlements,  273  ;  the  voluntary  principle  happily  illustrated  in  Rochester, 
274;  the  last  sacrifice  of  the  Senecas,  275-6:  the  churches  of  Rocliester— First 
Presbyterian  Church,  277-8  ;  St.  Luke's  Episcopal  Church,  279 ;  the  Friends,  the 
First  Baptist  Church,  &c.,  281-2 ;  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  283 ;  Second 
Methodist  Church,  St.  Patrick's  Catholic  Church,  284  ;  Brick  or  Second  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  Third  Presbyterian  Church,  265  ;  Grace  or  St.  Paul's  Church,  286 ; 
Reformed  Presbyterian,  Evangelical  Lutheran,  and  Second  Baptist  Churches,  287  ; 
Zion  Church,  Freewill  Baptist,  Universalist,  German  Catholic,  Free  Bethel,  and 
Free  Congregational  Churches,  288 ;  African  M.  E.  Church,  church  architecture, 
&c.,  289 ;  tabular  statements  of  churches,  290 ;  do.  of  Sabbath-schools,  291. 

Associations  of  Rochester — dissemination  of  the  Bible,  Monroe  Bible  Society,  &c., 
292:  the  cause  of  Sabbath-schools,  293  ;  Monroe  Sunday-school  Uninn,  As^ociation 
of  Teachers,  &c.,  294 ;  Genesee  Sabbath-school  Union,  295  ;  Sabbath-school  Deposi- 
tory, 296 ;  Tract  Operations,  297 ;  the  Missionary  Cause,  298  ;  Young  Men's  Domes- 
tic Missionary  Society,  Foreign  Missions,  299;  the  Temperance  Reformation,  300; 
statistics  of  crime  connected  with  intemperance,  efforts  of  Dr.  Penney  in  the  temper- 
ance cause  in  Europe,  301  ;  Observance  of  the  Sabbath,  Pioneer  Line,  &c.,  302-3; 
effects  of  the  efforts  made  in  Rochester,  304  ;  Education  Societies,  Charity  Infant- 
school,  305 ;  Female  Charitable  Sorlety,  306-7-8  ;  Orphan  Asylum,  309  ;  Mechanics' 
Literary  Association,  Apprentices'  Library,  Young  Men's  Association,  310 ;  lectures 
of  Dr.  'Cvhitehouse,  Myron  Holley,  Professor  Dewey,  the  Rev.  Tryon  Edwards,  Dr. 
Reid,  Dr.  Bristol,  Dr.  Peckham,  the  Rev.  Pharcellus  Church,  311  ;  Rochester  Athe- 
naeum, Pi  Beta  Gamma,  312;  William  Wood,  the  philanthropic  friend  of  such  insti- 
tutions, 313  ;  Rochester  Academy  of  Sacred  .Music,  314  ;  Mechanics'  Musical  Asso- 
ciation, City  Temperance  Society,  Hibernian  Temperance  Society,  Monroe  Total  Ab- 
stinence Society,  315:  Rochester  Anti-slavery  Society,  masonic  institutions.  316 ; 
theatres  and  circuses,  abolition  of  imprisonment  for  debt,  and  of  special  legislation 
respecting  banks,  <fec.,  317. 

Seminaries  of  Rocliester— altenl'wn  paid  to  literary  improvement,  318-19;  High- 
school.  Rochester  Female  Academy,  320  ;  Miss  Seward's  Female  Seminary,  321 ; 
other  schools,  and  aid  to  Hamilton  College,  321. 

The  Bar  of  Rocliesler— tribute  of  respect  to  Vincent  Mathews,  the  oldest  practising 
lawyer  in  the  state,  322 ;  attorneys  of  Rochester,  public  officers,  and  memoranda, 
323;  the  Medical  Profession,  names  of  practising  physicians,  Monroe  Medical  Soci- 
ety, 324. 

Newspaper  Establishments — first  daily  print  west  of  Albany  commenced  in  Roches- 
ter in  1826,  and  other  newspaper  establishments,  325 ;  the  Rochester  Daily  Adver- 
tiser, Rochester  Daily  Democrat,  Genesee  Farmer,  &c.,  326. 

Military— of&cers  whose  headquarters  are  in  Rochester,  and  uniform  corps  in  the 
city,  327. 

Fire  Department— officers  of  the  several  companies.  Firemen's  Benevolent  Associa- 
tion, <fcc.,  328 ;  fires  in  Rochester  during  1835-6-7,  329. 

Banking  and  En.inrance—Bai\k  of  Rochester,  Bank  of  Monroe,  Rochester  City  Bank, 
Savings  Bank,  Monroe  Mutual  Enstirance,  and  other  eiisurance  agencies,  330. 

Postnffice— its  establishment  and  advancement,  331  ;  mails  leaving  Rochester  by 
stages  and  railroads,  the  contrast,  332. 

Canal  Trade-its  extent  at  Rochester,  and  influence  on  other  business,  3r!2  ;  kind  and 
quality  of  articles  shipped  or  received,  and  amount  of  toll  at  Rochester,  333. 

Revenue  District,  Rochester  or  Genesee — its  extent,  and  error  respecting  it  corrected, 
3;i4  ;  Port  of  Rochester,  335  ;  report  of  Lieutenant  Smith  about  the  depth  of  water 
and  excellence  of  harbour,  336-*7. 

Public  works  in  which  Rochester  is  interested— Erie  Canal  enlargement  and  the  great 


aqueduct,  *338-9;  progress  of  the  work,  *340 ;  Genesee  Valley  Canal,  *341 ;  opin- 
ions of  its  value,  *342-3  ;  Rochester  and  Auburn  Railroad,  *344  ;  Tonnewanta 
Railroad,  "345;  importance  of  the  work,  *346  ;  Rochester  Railroad,  *347. 

Trade  and  Manufactures — preliminary  notices  of  Genesee  River,  its  cataracts  and 
banks,  *348  ;  Flats  of  the  Genesee,  Big- tree  Bend,  Wadswonh  Farms,  *349;  Avon 
Springs,  early  settlers,  historical  recollections,  *350 ;  water  power  of  the  Genesee 
and  great  floods,  *351 ;  description  of  the  six  engravings  of  views  on  the  Genesee  in 
Rochester,  *352. 

Transportation  on  river,  lake,  and  canal— navigation  south  of  Rochester,  Ontario 
navigation,  '353 ;  early  trade  between  Rochester  and  Canada,  *354  ;  canal  transpor- 
tation business,  owners  and  agents  of  lines  at  Rochester,  *355. 

Manufactures  and  other  (/iwmeis— preliminary  notice,  early  millers  of  the  Genesee, 
*356;  Maude's  account  of  things  in  I79S,  errors  about  the  falls,  *357;  Harford's 
settlement  and  mill,  *358 ;  some  notice  of  the  savage  and  lewd  career  of  Indian  Al- 
len, vifho  built  the  first  mill  on  the  Genesee,  the  White  Woman,  &c.,  *359. 

Flour  Trade  of  Rochester— quantity  and  quality  of  the  article,  its  extensive  sale,  &c., 
*360  ;  information  on  the  flour  trade  derived  from  Hervey  lily,  *361  ;  the  architect 
of  the  principal  Rochester  mills,  the  excellence  of  machinery,  &c.,  *361 ;  origin  of 
the  flour  trade,  prices  of  wheat  at  Rochester  from  1814  to  1837,  and  quantity  manu- 
factured, *362  ;  quality  of  the  crops  and  fluctuations  in  prices;  etlects  of  British 
corn  laws,  &o.,  *363  ;  hints  to  farmers,  quantity  of  exports  from  the  wheat  country 
for  foreign  and  domestic  markets,  *3f)4;  difference  in  value  of  Genesee  flour  to  the 
baker  and  the  eater,  thft  flour  riots  in  New- York,  memorial  of  the  Rochester  millers, 
*365  ;  connexion  of  Rochester  and  Western  New-York  with  the  grain  and  flour 
trade,  prices  of  flour  for  about  forty  years,  *366 ;  remarks  on  the  late  high  prices, 
■wheat  crops  of  1835  and  1836,  memoranda  about  wheat  culture,  *367  ;  early  repu- 
tation of  Genesee  wheat,  the  Rochester  m  Us  and  their  original  and  present  owners, 
*368;  mills  built  between  1818  and  1831,  *369 ;  mills  built  from  1831  to  1836, 
technical  terms,  &c.,  *370. 

Other  branches  of  biisiyiess,  and  names  of  persons  carrying  tliem  on— carpet-factory, 
and  the  extent  of  its  business,  cloth  or  woollen  factories,  firearms,  fire-engines, 
*371 ;  tanneries,  morocco-dressers,  paper-makers,  piano-factory,  veneering-mill  and 
our  native  woods,  sawmills,  *372  ;  dry  goods  stores,  ship  chandlery,  grocery  and 
provision  dealers,  tailors  and  clothing  stores,  leather-dealers,  china,  gla-s,  and 
crockery  stores,  builders,  carpenters  and  masons,  bakeries,  wood-turners,  wagon 
and  wheelbarrow  makers,  marble-dressers,  lathmills,  mill-stores,  &c.,  plaiiemakers, 
painters,  *373 :  edge-tools,  iron-furnaces,  boatyards,  cooperage,  distilleries,  brewer- 
ies, cabinet-makers,  coppersmiths.  Sec,  &c.,  *374  ;  hatters,  carriage-makers,  jewel- 
lers, rope  and  brush  makers,  tobacco  factories,  <&c.,  &c.,  *375. 

Hotels,  balhing-hnuses,  reading-rooms,  &c.,  *376. 

Markets,  Courthouse,  jail,  &c.,  *377 ;  reform  in  prison  discipline,  bridges  of  Ro- 
chester, &;c.,  *378  ;  streets  of  Rochester,  quantity  of  improvement,  *379  ;  sewers, 
&C.,  '380;  Rochester  Museum,  public-grounds,  waterworks,  *381 ;  supply  of 
water,  wood,  and  coal,  police  of  the  city,*382. 

Miscellaneous— not\ces  of  artists,  portraits  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  Red  Jacket,  General 
Mathews,  Colonel  Rochester,  and  Jesse  Hawley,  views  of  Rochester,  <Stc.,  *383  ; 
Raphael  West,  fate  of  Catlin,  &c.,  *384. 

If otices  nf  places  in  the  vicinity  of  Rochester— Carthage  Bridge,  Irondequoit  Bay, 
historical  recollections,  *385 :  the  great  embankment,  tragical  events  connected 
with  the  first  oxen  brought  to  the  Genesee  Valley,  *386  ;  the  Ridge-Road,  Braddock's 
Bay,  Hanford's  Landing,  *387  ;  former  importance  of  Hanford's  and  Braddock's 
villages  of  Charlotte,  &;c.,  *388. 

APPENDIX. 

RECENT  INDIAN  OCCUPANTS  OF  WESTERN  NEW-YORK— The  courage, 
wisdom,  and  eloquence  of  the  Six  Nations,  337  ;  parallel  between  the  Old  World 
and  the  New,  338  ;  conquests  of  the  Six  Nations,  &c.,  339;  connexion  of  the  history 
of  our  northern  Indians  with  the  antiquities  of  Central  America,  340;  Discourse  on 
the  History  of  the  Six  Nations  by  De  Witt  Clinton,  :'4I,  &c. ;  glances  at  the  former 
condition  of  the  tribes  of  North  America,  342  ;  possessions  of  the  Six  Nations,  343; 
the  Romans  of  the  Western  World,  344  ;  local  advantages  of  Western  New-York, 
well  fitted  for  warlike  tribes,  345  ;  French,  Rnglish,  and  Indian  claims  to  territory, 
346;  wise  and  energetic  policy  of  the  Indian  Confederacy,  347  ;  distinctions  of  tribes, 
348  ;  love  of  liberty,  the  Romans  and  the  Confederates.  349 ;  superiority  of  the  Iro- 
quois, 350  ;  warlike  character,  351 ;  training  of  ihe  Indians,  352  ;  scalping  and  tor- 
ture, 353;  employment  of  savages  in  war,  354;  causes  of  Indian  wars,  355;  forts 
and  trading-posts  in  Western  New-York,  356;  ambition  and  policy  of  the  Iroquois, 
357;  their  conquests,  358  ;  terror  inspired  by  Ihe  Con t(?deracy,  359  ;  Indians  formed 
a  barrier  against  the  French,  360 ;  their  wars  with  the  French  in  Canada,  361 ;  the 


XXii  INDEX. 

Senecas  involved  in  efforts  to  destroy  the  British  Colonies,  362;  horrors  of  Indian 
warfare  in  the  revolution,  363  ;  sublimity  of  Indian  eloquente,  364  ;  Indian  massa- 
cres, 365  ;  leases  of  Indian  lands  annulled,  366 ;  Red  .lacket.  Logan,  and  Cicero, 
367  ;  the  Confederates  superior  to  other  Indians,  368  ;  Indian  languages,  369 ;  pop- 
ulation of  tribes,  370  ;  number  of  warriors,  371  ;  dccreascof  Indians,  372;  iheir  deg- 
radation, 373;  baneful  influence  of  the  white  man  upon  the  Indians,  374;  Indian 
■wars,  diseases,  A;c  ,  375  ;  effects  of  spirituous  liquors,  376  ;  annihilation  of  the  In- 
dian power  in  the  State  of  New-York,  377. 

Antiquities  of  Western  New-York— ancient  forts,  377  ;  theories  respecting  them,  378 ; 
not  the  work  of  the  Indians,  379;  antiquity  of  these  forts,  381  ;  geological  appear- 
ance of  the  Ridge-Road  connected  with  the  inquiry  about  antiquities  381  ;  ancient 
occupants  of  America,  382  ;  incursions  of  Asiatic  barbarians,  383. 

Notes  on  the  wars  of  the  Six  Nations  with  Southern  tribes,  384  ;  ravages  of  disease 
among  the  Indians,  385 ;  alliance  between  the  British  and  Indians  in  the  revolution, 
386 ;  Indian  desire  for  neutrality,  387 ;  the  White  Woman's  account  of  the  arts  used 
by  the  British,  388  ;  Indian  hostilities,  389  ;  General  Herkimer  and  Jos.  Brant,  390  ; 
last  conference  with  the  Indians,  391  ;  Cornplanter's  account,  392. 

Sullivan's  expedition  against  the  Six  Nations,  393 ;  forces  employed  to  avenge  the 
massacres  of  Cherry  Valley,  Wyoming,  &c.,  394  ;  skirmishes  with  the  Indians  and 
tories,  395  ;  operations  of  the  American  army  against  the  Senecas  at  Genesee  River, 
396;  Indian  barbarity  towards  Lieutenant  Boyd,  &c.,  397  ;  Butler,  Brant,  &c.,  398  ; 
destruction  of  Indian  villages  and  provisions,  399  ;  sufferings  of  the  Indians  during 
the  winter  of  1779-80,  and  their  retaliatory  measures,  400. 

Indian  difficulties  &nfir  the  revolution  alTecling  the  welfare  of  Western  New-York, 
401 ;  account  given  by  Judge  Hosmer  of  the  union  of  Senecas  with  the  Indians  that 
fought  against  Harmer,  St.  Clair,  Wayne,  and  Harrison,  402;  eflects  of  Wayne's 
victory  on  the  Senecas,  403  ;  danger  of  the  early  settlers  of  Western  N.  York,  404. 

Canal  Question,  note,  405 ;  Jesse  Hawley,  Joshua  Forman,  and  the  Rochester  com- 
mittee, 406. 

Nathaniel  Rochester — one  of  the  few  early  settlers  who  are  not  spared  to  see  the  pres- 
ent prosperity  of  the  city,  407 ;  his  capture  of  a  tory  force  in  the  revolution.  408; 
further  services  in  the  army,  and  in  the  convention  that  formed  the  government  of 
North  Carolina,  409;  his  early  views  respecting  Western  New-York,  410;  purchase 
of  the  Hundred-acre  Tract,  &c.,  411  ;  his  i>oliticaI  course,  letters  from  Jefferson  and 
Madison,  412;  his  connexion  with  this  city  and  county,  413:  slate  of  society  in 
Rochester,  414  ;  influence  of  the  French  philosophers  while  Colonel  Rochester  was 
in  the  revolutionary  army,  414  :  proceedings  of  the  corporation  of  the  city  and  vari- 
ous other  public  bodies  at  the  death  of  Col.  Rochester,  415. 

Rochester  in  1826— statements  respecting  its  condition,  and  letters  on  the  subject 
from  Governor  Clinton  and  Dr.  Mitchill  to  Everard  Peck,  416. 

Index  to  Engravings,  dfc. 

A  Sketch  of  Rochester  in  1812  precedes  the  titlepage;  and  a  Map  of  the  City,  with  the 
bounds  established  by  the  law  of  1834,  is  inserted  between  the  36th  and  37th  pages. 

Some  views  of  religious  edifices,  showing  the  style  of  church  architecture  in  Roches- 
ter :  the  view  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  precedes  page  277  ;  St.  Luke's,  279  ; 
Second  Baptist  Church,  281  ;  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  283;  St.  Patrick's 
Church,  and  the  Brick  Church,  285 ;  Grace  Church,  or  St.  Paul's,  and  the  Third 
Presbyterian,  287  ;  Bethel  Free  Church,  facing  288. 

Some  of  the  seminaries  of  Rochester  :  view  of  the  High-school,  preceding  page  319 ; 
views  of  the  Rochester  Female  Seminary  and  of  Miss  Seward's  Seminary,  pre- 
ceding 321. 

Portrait  of  General  Vincent  Mathews,  facing  page  322. 

Six  views  on  the  Genesee  in  Rochester  :  the  view  of  the  Port  of  Rochester,  facing  page 
*348;  the  Lower  Falls,  *350;  the  Third  Water-power,  *352 ;  the  Middle  or  Main 
Falls,  looking  from  the  east  bank  westward  across  and  northward  down  the  stream, 
*354;  second  view  of  the  Middle  or  Main  Falls,  looking  southward  up  the  stream, 
*356;  view  of  the  great  Canal  Aqueduct  across  the  Genesee  in  Rochester,  *358. 

Sixteen  views  showing  the  appearance  of  some  of  the  manufacturing  establishments, 
inserted  between  pages  *360  and  *376,  viz.,  the  establishments  of  Thos.  Kempshall, 
Hervey  Ely,  Warham  Whitney  &  Co.,  Joseph  Strong,  Charles  J.  Hill,  Ira  P.  Thur- 
ber  &  Co.,  A.  Whipple  &  Co.,  Edwin  and  Elias  Avtry,  Mack  and  Paterson,  Thom- 
as Emerson,  Meech,  Rice,  &  Co.,  Richard  Richardson,  Silas  O.  Smith,  Henry  B. 
Williams  &  Co.,  Josei)h  Field,  Elbert  W.  Scraiitom,  Kidd  and  Paterson,  Jacob 
Graves,  Henry  L.  Achilles,  Lewis  Selye,  Sec. 

Front  of  Rochester  City  Bank,  facing  page  330. 

Four  views  of  hotels — the  Eagle  Tavern,  the  Rochester  House,  the  Monroe  House, 
the  United  States  Hotel — between  pages  *376  and  *377. 

New  Market,  facing  page  *377.    Tonnewanta  Railroad  Bridge,  facing  page  *378. 

Portrait  of  Colonel  Rochester,  facing  page  407. 


'U 


SKETCHES    OF  ROCHESTER^ 


INCIDENTAL  NOTICES  OF  WESTERN  NEW-YORK- 


The  suddenness  of  its  rise,  the  energy  of  its  population, 
the  excellence  of  its  institutions,  the  whole  character  of  its 
prosperity,  render  Rochester  prominent  among  the  cities  that 
have  recently  sprung  into  existence  throughout  a  land  nota- 
ble for  extraordinary  intellectual  and  physical  advancement. 
Individual  enterprise,  fostered  by  free  government,  has  here 
most  happily  improved  the  bounties  with  which  Heaven  has 
prodigally  endowed  the  land.  Population  and  even  busi- 
ness may  have  increased  occasionally  elsewhere  in  ratios 
perhaps  as  remarkable  ;  but  in  few,  very  few  cases,  if  any, 
will  it  be  found  that  the  progress  in  those  points  has  been 
accompanied  by  the  perfection  of  social  institutions  to  the 
degree  in  which  they  are  now  already  beheld  at  Rochester. 

"New-England  ! — rich  in  intellect,  though  rude  in  soil — 
the  intelligent  enterprise  of  her  sons  in  a  fertile  land  has 
largely  aided  in  rendering  the  Genesee  country  the  garden  of 
this  State."  Such  were  among  the  sentiments  with  which  a 
statesman  of  eastern  origin  was  greeted  by  the  people  of 
Rochester.  The  city  itself  is  a  worthy  monument  of  the  glo- 
rious truth — a  truth  applicable  to  the  social  condition  per- 
haps as  well  as  to  the  physical  improvement  of  this  region. 

Indebted  we  certainly  are  to  various  quarters  for  several 
individuals  whose  influence  has  exerted  a  cheering  sway 
over  the  destinies  of  Rochester — such  as  the  revolutionary 
patriot*  whose  name  is  borne  by  the  city,  and  some  of  the 
clergymen  whose  characters  are  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of 
thousands.  Some  worthy  merchants  and  excellent  artisans 
— some  skilful  physicians  and  shrewd  lawyers,  too — have 
we  received  from  different  regions.     But  the  citizens  are 

*  See  notice  of  Colonel  Rochester,  at  the  end  of  this  vohime. 


24  PREFATORY    REMARKS. 

chiefly  of  eastern  lineage.  From  the  hills  of  Vermont 
to  the  borders  of  the  Sound — from  the  banks  of  the  Con- 
necticut to  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic — there  are  few  towns 
that  have  not  some  representatives  among  us.  The  influ- 
ence of  ancestry  is  stamped  with  hallowed  impress  upon  the 
population ;  and  the  New-England  colony — for  such  may 
Rochester  be  considered — reflects  no  discredit  upon  those 
Pilgrim  progenitors  whose  fame  extends  with  the  progress 
of  human  improvement.  "  The  great  preponderance  of 
eastern  men  among  our  population,"  as  we  have  said  else- 
where, "  has  marked  not  merely  the  business  relations,  but 
the  general  characteristics  of  the  place  ;  and  it  would  require 
no  great  range  of  imagination  for  the  Yankee  traveller,  from 
all  that  he  sees  around  him  here,  to  fancy  himself  in  one 
of  the  thriftiest  cities  of  his  native  New-England."  In- 
deed, with  the  facts  before  us  exemplifying  the  advance- 
ment of  the  citizens  in  all  the  valued  relations  of  society,  we 
may  declare,  with  satisfaction  heartfelt  rather  than  boastful, 
that  nowhere  in  this  broad  land  is  there  furnished  a  more  re- 
markable illustration  than  Rochester  already  presents  of  the 
intellectual  and  moral  energies  of  the  American  character. 

Some  examinations  will  probably  satisfy  even  the  most  su- 
perficial observer  that,  eulogistic  as  our  language  may  ap- 
pear, the  importance  of  the  city  is  not  overrated  in  these 
remarks.  By  tiie  national  census  of  1830,  it  appears  that, 
notwithstanding  its  recent  origin,  Rochester  even  then  ranked 
twenty-first  among  the  chief  places  of  the  United  States. 
The  only  cities  of  the  confederacy  which  surpassed  it  in 
population  were  New- York  with  its  adjunct  Brooklyn,  Phila- 
delphia, Baltimore,  Boston, New-Orleans,  Charleston,  Cincin- 
nati, Albany,  Washington,  Newark,  Providence,  Pittsburg, 
Richmond,  Salem,  Portland,  New-Haven,  Louisville,  Norfolk, 
Hartford,  and  Troy.  Our  population  then  was  less  than 
half  its  present  size.  Since  that  time,  the  advancement  of 
Rochester  has  given  it  precedence  over  several  of  the  above- 
mentioned  places ;  and  we  may  now  predict  that  the  census 
of  1840  will  place  it  about  the  fifteenth  in  rank  among  the 
cities  of  the  American  confederacy. 

The  New-England  States  in  1830  had  but  four  places  of 
greater  population  than  Rochester.  In  all  the  states  south- 
ward of  the  Potomac,  there  were  then  but  five  towns  of 
larger  magnitude.  Cities  as  well  known  as  Savannah  and 
Augusta,  for  instance,  fell  short  a  couple  of  thousands  at  that 
time  in  comparison  with  Rochester  ;  and  probably  neither  of 


PREFATORY    REMARKS.  25 

them  have  now  a  white  population  more  than  half  the  pres- 
ent size  of  ours. 

Farther  comparisons  from  the  census  of  1830  show  that 
Rochester  was  then  about  double  the  size  of  either  Say- 
brook,  New-London,  Litchfield,  Lyme,  Groton,  Fairfield,  or 
Danbury — or  about  treble  the  size  of  Wethersfield,  Stoning- 
ton,  Stamford,  Norwalk,  Haddam,  Farmington,  or  Bridge- 
port. And,  considering  the  different  ratios  of  improvement 
since  that  period,  we  cannot  doubt  that  Rochester  is  now 
quadruple  the  size  of  either  of  those  well-known  towns  of 
Connecticut.  Neither  of  the  prominent  towns  of  Vermont 
— Windsor,  Woodstock,  St.  Alban's,  Rutland,  Norwich, 
Bennington,  Burlington,  or  Brattleborough — were  more 
than  one  third  the  size  of  Rochester  in  1830  ;  and  the 
difference  is  now  considerably  greater  in  favour  of  the  latter 
place. 

Considering  Brooklyn  as  an  adjunct  of  New-York,  Ro- 
chester now  ranks,  in  the  scale  of  population  and  of  business, 
as  the  third  city  of  the  Empire  State.  The  revenue  of  its 
postofllce,  a  tolerably  correct  criterion  of  the  business  and  in- 
telligence of  a  town  (when  such  revenue  is  not  swollen,  as  it 
is  not  with  us,  by  adventitious  circumstances  like  the  distrib- 
uting business),  places  Rochester  in  the  list  next  only  to  the 
cities  of  New- York  and  Albany.  When  the  office  was  es- 
tablished in  1812  at  the  then  newly-projected  village  of  Ro- 
chester, the  gross  revenue  accruing  from  postage  was  but 
three  dollars  and  forty-two  cents  for  the  first  quarter:  it  is 
now  about  $4000  per  quarter.  Such  are  the  vast  changes 
which  are  revolutionizing  the  wilderness  of  Northern  Amer- 
ica ! 

The  European,  unconversant  with  the  wonders  effected 
in  the  American  woods,  may  hear  with  amazement  that  a 
single  quarter-century  has  created  in  Western  New- York  a 
city  like  this,  with  population  twofold  greater  and  institu- 
tions more  remarkable  for  excellence  than  those  of  the  an- 
cient British  city  of  similar  name.  Though  we  cannot  here 
point  to  such  magnificent  ruins  of  by-gone  times — such 
splendours  of  tower  and  temple  as  throw  interest  upon  the 
City  of  the  Medway — the  Rochester  of  the  Genesee  may  re- 
joice in  the  living  glories  of  a  prosperous  people — a  people 
who  are  successfully  exemplifying  the  efficacy  of  the  volun- 
tary PRINCIPLE  by  triumphing  over  all  obstacles  in  estab- 
lishing not  only  their  own  fortunes,  but  those  religious  and 
3 


26  PREFATORY   REMARKS. 

social  institutions  for  which  governmental  patronage  is  deem- 
ed essential  by  many  in  otlier  lands. 

It  would  probably  surprise  the  generality  of  the  people  of 
Britain  to  learn  that  an  American  city,  wliich  could  not  be 
found  named  in  map  or  gazetteer  even  twenty  years  ago,  has 
now  a  population  about  equal  to  that  assigned  in  1830*  to 
either  Oxford  or  Cambridge — to  Carlisle,  Greenwich,  Ip- 
swich, Chester,  Wigan,  Yarmouth,  Deptford,  or  Southamp- 
ton— surpassing  that  of  either  Woolwich,  Wolverhamp- 
ton, Worcester,  or  Sunderland — considerably  exceeding 
that  of  either  Kidderminster,  Huddersfield,  Northampton, 
Lynn,  Lancaster,  or  Canterbury — a  population  which  will, 
in  five  years,  judging  from  the  past,  equal  that  which  was 
then  set  down  for  either  Macclesfield,  Derby,  Exeter,  or 
York — and  which  now  is  about  double  the  size  ascribed  to 
either  Doncaster,  Rochdale,  Boston,  Hereford,  Durham, 
Warwick,  Wakefield,  Winchester,  or  our  namesake  city,  the 
ancient  Rochester  upon  the  Medway. 

There  is  not  now  in  the  kingdom  of  Greece  a  city  larger 
than  this  of  which  we  speak.  Caermarthen,  the  largest  city 
of  Wales,  is  only  about  half  the  size  of  Rochester.  Among 
the  Scotch  towns,  Greenock  and  Perth  are  those  which  most 
resemble  ours  in  size — there  being  only  five  larger  towns  in 
that  country — while  either  Inverness,  Dumfries,  Falkirk,  or 
Montrose,  are  about  equal  in  population  to  three  of  the  five 
wards  of  our  city.  Waterford,  in  Ireland,  exceeds  Roches- 
ter about  one  third  ;  Kilkenny  is  little  larger ;  while  London- 
derry, Drogheda,  and  Clonmel  fall  short  of  our  city ;  and 
Armagh,  Wexford,  and  Dundalk  are  about  half  the  size. 
The  census  of  1840  will  probably  place  our  population  on 
an  equality  of  numbers  with  that  of  either  Mantua,  Cremona, 
Bergamo,  Ferrara,  Ravenna,  or  Modena  :  our  present  size 
about  equals  that  of  Pisa,  is  double  that  of  Bassano,  Tivoli, 
or  Carrara,  with  a  few  thousands  more  than  either  Ancona, 
Rimini,  Lucca,  Piacenza,  Treviso,  or  Lodi,  in  the  Italian 
States.  Our  population  will,  in  two  or  three  years,  equal 
that  of  Geneva,  the  largest  city  of  Switzerland  ;  and  is  now 
about  double  the  size  of  Lausanne.  Mechlin,  Maestricht, 
Mons,  and  Tournay,  in  Belgium,  are  about  equal  with  us, 
but  Ostend  is  only  half  the  size  of  Rochester.  Our  popu- 
lation is  now  about  a  fifth  less   than  that  of  Buda,    but 

*  See  Williams's  Universal  Gazetteer. 


PREFATOKY    REMARKS.  27 

about  double  that  of  either  Innspruck,  Laybach,  or  Olmutz, 
in  Austria.  The  cities  of  France  which  most  nearly  assim- 
ilate in  size  to  Rochester  are  Dunkirk,  Grenoble,  Tours, 
Limoges,  Aries,  Poitiers,  Aix,  and  St.  Oraer,  none  of  which 
varied  much  from  20,000  in  1830 — Angouleme,  Rochefort, 
Bayonne,  Rochelle,  Cherbourg,  and  Colmar  falling  several 
thousands  short,  &c.  We  outnumber  in  the  same  way  some 
celebrated  cities  of  Spain- — Salamanca,  Ossuna,  Alicant 
Pamplona,  Bilboa,  and  Badajos  ;  have  about  double  the  pop- 
ulation of  Tarragona,  Segovia,  Tortosa,  Burgos,  or  St.  Se- 
bastian ;  and  will  in  about  five  years  equal  Cordova,  Toledo, 
or  Valladolid.  We  are  nearly  equal  with  Bergen  and  Chris- 
tiana, the  chief  cities  of  Norway  :  the  same  may  be  said 
with  reference  to  Gottenburg,  in  Sweden.  Erfurt,  Elbing, 
and  Halle  are  about  the  size  ;  Potsdam  somewhat  larger  ;  but 
Coblentz  and  Brandenburg,  in  Prussia,  are  only  about  half 
the  size.  Mentz  and  Hanover,  Niiremburg  and  Ratisbon, 
will  probably  be  overtaken  within  five  years  ;  Harlem,  Lu- 
bec,  Manheim,  Darmstadt,  and  Dort  have  about  the  same 
numbers  ;  while  Gotha,  Weimar,  and  Altenburg  are  about 
half  the  size  of  Rochester. 

Thus  much  for  comparisons  between  our  newborn  city 
and  towns  of  various  nations  generally  known  as  somewhat 
celebrated  in  different  ways.  Such  comparisons  may  assist 
the  memory  in  fixing  the  relative  rank  of  Rochester  in  the 
scale  of  cities,  and  enable  some  readers  to  realize  more  per- 
fectly than  might  otherwise  be  the  case,  a  sense  of  the  rapid 
progress  of  improvement  in  the  Western  World. 

It  may  be  observed  that  these  comparisons  have  reference 
merely  to  population.  In  enterprise,  intelligence,  and  busi- 
ness— in  moral,  religious,  and  intellectual  character — in  the 
qualities  chiefly  requisite  to  promote  social  prosperity  and 
public  welfare — what  European  town  of  equal  size,  be  its 
antiquity  what  it  may,  can  be  properly  placed  in  juxtaposi- 
tion with  the  City  of  the  Genesee  ? 

Ostentatious  as  these  references  may  be  deemed  by  some, 
it  seems  to  us  that  it  is  only  by  such  comparisons  that  we 
can  become  fully  sensible  of  the  blessings  with  which  our 
Republic  is  endowed.  The  American,  who  extends  not  his 
views  beyond  the  boundaries  of  his  native  land,  who  exam- 
ines not  the  condition  of  things  social  and  political  in  the 
Old  World,  can  never  entertain  that  strong  sense  of  his  ad- 
vantages which  is  seemingly  necessary  to  render  him  fully 


28  PREFATORY    REMARKS. 

grateful  lo  Heaven  and  to  a  virtuous  ancestry  for  privileges 
unequalled  under  the  best  forms  of  government  which  hu- 
man ingenuity  has  devised  in  other  lands. 

The  origin  and  condition  of  a  city  which  has  so  suddenly 
become  prominent  among  the  chief  towns  of  the  earth,  are 
subjects  calculated  to  awaken  attention  among  minds  inqui- 
ring about  the  effects  of  government  and  other  causes  on  the 
destinies  of  the  human  race.  The  pioneers  of  the  wilder- 
ness who  are  yet  chiefly  spared  to  enjoy  the  prosperity 
which  they  contributed  in  producing,*  cannot  look  with  apa- 
thy upon  such  investigations  ;  while  the  rising  generation 
among  us  may  naturally  entertain  curiosity  for  information 
concerning  the  causes  and  the  men  that  combined  in  found- 
ing and  establishing  the  city  of  their  birth  or  residence. 
The  ties  of  consanguinity,  which  attract  towards  Rochester 
the  thoughts  of  thousands  throughout  New-England  and 
other  sections,  may  occasion  some  yearning  in  many  else- 
where to  learn  particulars  of  a  place  with  whose  inhabitants 
their  feelings  are  measurably  identified.  The  political 
economist  may  find  exemplified  in  the  career  of  Rochester 
various  doctrines  of  his  favourite  science  ;  while  the  reformer, 
struggling  for  civil  and  religious  freedom  in  the  Old  World, 
may  derive  from  the  brief  history  of  the  city  many  proofs 
demonstrative  of  the  salutary  operation  of  the  voluntary  prin- 
ciple in  government  secular  and  ecclesiastical.  Those  who 
properly  appreciate  the  New-England  character,  as  exem- 
plified by  the  Pilgrim  Champions  of  Human  Rights  and  by 
their  lineage  from  the  first  settlement  down  to  the  present 
period,  may  view  with  interest  the  living  monument  of 
INTELLIGENT  ENTEKPEisE  which  has  spruug  iuto  existence 
through  the  transforming  influence  of  Yankee  colonists  in 
the  western  wilderness.  The  causes  which  have  contrib- 
uted to  the  present  condition  of  things  are  likewise  worthy 
of  earnest  reflection  with  those  among  us  whose  praise- 
worthy ambition  seeks  to  perpetuate  and  extend  the  cheer- 
ing influences  which  have  operated  in  rendering  Rochester 
WHAT  IT  IS.  Knowledge  of  the  past  may  encourage  us 
for  THE  FUTURE — whilc  impressing  us  with  the  conviction 
that  our  individual  interests 'and  the  aggregate  welfare  of  the 

*  Samuel  I.  Andrews,  Francis  Brown,  Thomas  Mumford,  Isaac  W. 
Stone,  John  Mastick,  and  Charles  Harford,  are,  with  Colonel  Roches- 
ter, among  the  few  exceptions  to  this  remark  respecting  the  prominent 
early  settlers  of  Rochester. 


PREFATORY    REMARKS.  29 

city  may  be  best  promoted  by  unswerving  adherence  to  that 
plain  system  of  industry  and  morality  which  under  Heaven 
has  contributed  most  largely  to  the  prosperous  condition  of 
our  population. 

With  these  views,  and  with  a  desire  to  preserve  for  the 
historian  some  records  of  the  settlement  of  the  city,  while 
persons  are  living  to  attest  the  truth  or  rectify  error,  we  pro- 
ceed to  collect  such  matters  as  may  be  deemed  useful  in 
elucidating  the  progress  of  Rochester  during  its  first 

QUARTER-CENTURY. 

In  expressing  astonishment  at  the  career  of  Roches- 
ter, De  Witt  Clinton*  remarked,  shortly  before  his  death, 
that,  when  he  passed  the  Genesee  on  a  tour  wiih  other  com- 
missioners for  exploring  the  route  of  the  Erie  Canal,  in  1810, 
there  was  not  a  house  where  Rochester  now  stands.  In 
1812  there  were  but  two  frame  dwellings  here,  small  and 
rude  enough — one  of  which  yet  remains  to  remind  us  of 
the  change  since  the  period  when  the  occupants  of  those 
shantees  had  to  contend  against  wild  beastsj  for  the  scanty 
crop  of  corn  first  raised  on  a  tract  now  included  in  the  heart 
of  the  city. 

It  was  not  till  the  year  1812  that  the  "Hundred-acre 
Tract"  was  planned  as  the  nucleus  of  a  settlement  under  the 
name  of  Rochester,  after  the  senior  proprietor.^  This  tract 
was  a  "  mill-lot"  bestowed  by  Phelps  and  Gorham  on  a 
semi-savage  called  Indian  Allen,  as  a  bonus  for  building 
mills  to  grind  corn  and  saw  boards  for  the  few  settlers  in 
this  region  at  the  time.  The  mills  decayed,  as  the  business 
of  the  country  was  insufficient  to  support  them  ;  and  Allen 
sold  the  property  to  Sir  William  Pulteney,  whose  estate 
then  included  a  large  section  of  the  "  Genesee  country."  It 
is  but  thirty-six  years  since  the  tract  was  thus  owned  by  a 
British  baronet. 1^  The  sale  to  Rochester,  Fitzhugh,  and 
Carroll  took  place  in  1802,  at  the  rate  of  ^17y5-o_  per  acre,  or 
$1750  for  the  lot,  with  its  "  betterments. "||  Two  other 
tracts  adjoining  the  mill-lot,  and  laid  out  also  in  l8r2,1P  to- 
gether with  a  tract  laid  out  in  1816,**  were  included  with 

*  Vide  page  245  and  416.      t  P.  250.      t  P.  251-2.       ^  P.  150-5. 

II  The  new  settlements  furnish  some  additions,  if  not  benefits,  to  the 
English  language.  To  those  unfamiliar  with  the  new  country,  we  may 
say  that  "  betterments"  is  synonymous  with  improvements  m  the  vo- 
cabulary of  the  backwoodsman. 

IT  Page  251.  **  Page  251. 

3* 


30  PREFATORY    REMARKS. 

the  primitive  allotment  in  the  boundaries  assigned  to  Ro- 
chester by  tlie  law  which  created  it  a  village  in  1817.  As 
a  fact  singularly  illustrative  of  the  vast  changes  which  the 
country  has  undergone,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  "the  Hun- 
dred-acre Tract"  which  Phelps  and  Gorham  bestowed  on 
Allen  for  building  the  rude  and  frail  mills,  was  part  of  a  tract 
twelve  by  twenty-foui  miles  in  extent  which  they  had  pre- 
viously obtained  from  the  Indians  for  the  purposes  of  a  "  mill- 
yard."  Some  of  the  land  on  the  east  side  of  the  Genesee  in 
Rochester  (the  Hundred-acre  Tract  being  on  the  west  side) 
was  sold  by  Phelps  and  Gorham  in  1790  for  eighteen  pence 
an  acre. 

The  events  of  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain,  which  pro- 
duced much  distress  throughout  this  frontier  region,*  impeded 
the  progress  of  Rochester  to  such  a  degree  that  the  popula- 
tion at  the  commencement  of  1816  amounted  to  only  331. 

The  formation  of  religious  institutions  was  commenced 
about  this  time,  when  the  first  clergyman  was  "  settled"  in 
Rochester.  The  communicants  of  this  first  church  were 
but  sixteen  in  number,  and  these  were  scattered  about  the 
country — some  of  them  residing  on  the  Ridge  Road  in  the 
towns  of  Brighton  and  Greece. f  The  first  permanent  reli- 
gious edifices  were  erected  about  1822 — the  three  previously 
erected  having  been  temporary  buildings  of  wood.  The  few 
years  which  have  passed  since  then  have  been  wonderfully 
eventful  in  our  ecclesiastical  aflE'airs.  There  are  now  not 
less  than  twenty-two  religious  societies,|  whose  structures 
embellish  the  appearance  of  the  city,  while  their  spirituality 
extends  a  hallowed  influence  over  its  social  relations.  Sem- 
inaries and  societies  of  value  in  literature  and  science, §  and 
Sabbath-schoolsll  effecting  much  good  with  little  means,  in- 
dicate that  there  are  here  actively  in  operation  such  causes 
as  have  rendered  New-England  celebrated  in  the  annals  of 
education — illustrious  in  the  empire  of  mind. 

The  population  of  the  city,  numbering  17,160  at  the 
close  of  1836,  may  be  safely  set  down  at  about  20,000  in 
May,  1838.  In  1814,  when  Commodore  Yeo,  of  the  British 
squadron  on  Lake  Ontario,  made  hostile  demonstrations  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Genesee  River,  Rochester  could  furnish  but 
thirty-three  arms-bearing  men  to  unite  with  the  few  militia 
of  the  surrounding  country  in  resisting  the  threatened  attack. If 

*  P.  253.  -t  P.  277.  I  p.  290. 

4  p.  318-21  ;  310-14.       II  P.  291.  IF  P.  255-7. 


PREFATORY    REMARKS.  31 

And  it  is  worthy  of  note,  that  among  all  our  present  thou- 
sands, there  are  probably  not  ten  persons  of  manly  age  who 
were  born  within  the  city  limits.  It  is  therefore  remarkable 
enough  that  such  homogeneousness  should  be  manifested 
among  the  population — a  fact  that  can  be  explained  best  by 
reference  to  the  Yankee  lineage  of  the  majority. 

The  business  of  Rochester  may  be  estimated  by  a  few 
facts.  This  city  is  interested  to  a  larger  extent  than  any 
other  in  the  carrying-trade  of  the  Erie  Canal* — the  great 
thoroughfare  between  the  seaboard  and  the  inland  waters. 
About  one  half  of  the  whole  amount  of  stock  in  all  the 
transportation  lines  on  that  waterway  is  owned  or  controlled 
by  our  citizens.  Rochester  is  to  the  Canal  what  Buffalo 
is  to  the  Lakes.  Our  staple  product  is  remarkable  for  its 
quantity  as  well  as  quality.  The  celebrity  of  the  Genesee 
wheat  is  increased  by  the  skill  with  which  it  is  here  pre- 
pared for  market.  Rochester  is  already  not  merely  the 
best,  but  the  largest  flour-manufactory  in  the  world. f 

In  various  departments  of  manufactures,  such  as  edge- 
tools,  carpeting,  fire-engines,  firearms,  cloths,  leather,  paper, 
pianos,  &c.,  considerable  energy  is  manifested  ;  and  for  the 
hundred  other  branches  of  business  to  which  the  citizens 
are  applying  themselves  with  creditable  assiduity  and  skill, 
we  may  here  only  refer  to  the  statements  furnished  else- 
where in  this  volume  (p.  371-6),  with  the  remark  that  even 
that  list  does  not  include  various  minor  branches  of  industry 
measurably  connected  with  the  establishments  therein  men- 
tioned. 

The  style  of  the  structures,  public  and  private,  is  indica- 
tive of  the  good  sense  and  correct  taste  of  the  citizens.  It 
may  readily  be  inferred,  that  among  a  people  so  prosperous 
in  business  of  such  varied  and  important  character,  the 
comforts  of  good  dwellings  and  tastefully-arranged  premises 
are  largely  appreciated  and  enjoyed.  A  degree  of  architec- 
tural taste  and  solid  construction  has  been  strikingly  evinced 
in  most  of  the  large  dwellings  erected  within  a  few  years 
past.  The  smaller  buildings,  which  men  of  moderate  means 
are  encouraged  to  erect  through  the  facilities  of  obtaining 
suitable  materials,  are  generally  neat  and  comfortable.  In- 
stead of  wooden  buildings,  such  as  miglit  be  expected  in  a 
newly-settled  *•'  wooden  country" — buildings  cheaply  erect- 
ed, and  serving  well  enough  perhaps  for  a  generation — the 
*  P.  332  and  *355.  t  P.  360,  &c. 


32  PREFATORY    REMARKS. 

congregations  have  generally  preferred  to  erect  massive  edi- 
fices, chiefly  of  stone — distinguished  for  size  and  beauty  as 
well  as  solidity.  The  engravings  in  this  volume  may  super- 
sede the  necessity  of  farther  remarks  touching  the  principal 
religious  structures — nine  of  which  are  here  delineated,*  and 
the  sizes  of  those  and  of  all  the  others  (for  it  will  be  recol- 
lected there  are  upward  of  twenty  religious  societies)  being 
given  in  accompanying  tabular  statements.! 

The  public  edifices  and  most  of  the  manufactories  and 
stores  are  erected  of  stone  or  brick.  'J'he  law  has  for  some 
years  forbidden  the  construction  of  wooden  buildings  within 
certain  limits  ;  and  care  is  used  to  render  fireproof  some  of 
the  most  valuable  structures. 

Connected  with  this  subject,  we  may  briefly  notice  a  few 
facts  respecting  building  materials.  It  may  be  considered 
among  the  greatest  advantages  of  Rochester,  that  it  pos- 
sesses within  itself  illimitable  supplies  of  stone  and  sand — 
that  our  water-power  facilitates  the  dressing  of  stone  by  saw- 
ing ;  that  brick  and  lime  are  obtainable  to  any  extent  in  the 
suburbs;  that  our  sawmills  cut  eight  or  ten  millions  of  feet 
of  lumber  annually — besides  which  considerable  quantities 
of  Allegany  pine  are  floated  to  us  down  the  Genesee,  and 
Canadian  lumber  is  brougiit  to  some  extent  across  Ontario 
to  our  market — that  we  have  hydraulic  machinery  even  for 
cutting  lath  and  mortising  doors  and  sash,  with  factories  for 
making  all  the  tools  requisite  for  performing  the  labour  upon 
the  materials  necessary  for  erecting  the  substantial  edifices 
of  the  city.  Surely  no  place  can  be  better  located  with  ref- 
erence to  such  important  advantages. 

The  immense  facilities  for  trade  and  intercourse  furnished 
to  Rochester  by  canals  and  railroads, |  and  the  benefits 
flowing  from  the  navigation  of  the  Genesee  River  and  Lake 
Ontario,^  may  be  estimated  by  any  one  who  is  capable  of 
comprehending  the  range  of  improvement  now  in  progress, 
as  well  as  that  already  completed.  Within  three  years,  if 
not  in  two,  chains  of  railroads  will  be  completed  so  as  to 
unite  Rochester  in  that  way  with  the  Atlantic  and  with  a 
vast  territory  in  the  west.  The  enlargement  of  the  Erie 
Canal  and  the  construction  of  the  Genesee  Valley  Canal, || 
to  be  completed  in  three  or  four  years,  will  form  a  new  era 
in  our  prosperous  history — giving  invaluable  impulses  to  all 

*  Between  pages  276  and  289.  t  Page  290,  &c 

t  Page  *338,  &c.         ^  P.  *353,  &c.         II  P.  *338  and  *341. 


PREFATORY   REMARKS.  33 

branches  of  our  business.  The  works  of  the  general  gov- 
ernment for  improving  our  intercourse  by  steamboats  with 
Ontario  have  rendered  the  Port  of  Rochester  an  excellent 
harbour  for  the  largest  vessels  of  the  lakes,  and  will  soon 
be  completed  at  an  additional  cost  of  about  $160,000.  The 
great  aqueduct,  with  its  appendages,  for  the  enlarged  Erie 
Canal  across  the  Genesee,  will  also  be  completed  in  a  couple 
of  years,  at  an  expense  to  the  state  of  nearly  half  a  million 
of  dollars.  The  works  on  all  the  important  improvements 
now  connected  whh  the  city  will  incidentally  prove  of  great 
value  in  various  ways. 

We  have  not  yet  spoken  of  the  natural  advantages  which 
have  most  essentially  contributed  to  the  sudden  and  deep- 
rooted  prosperity  of  Rochester.  The  water-power  of  the 
Genesee  may  be  considered  illimitable  for  all  practical  pur- 
poses, when  we  view  the  facilities  for  employing  it  to  the 
greatest  advantage.  It  may  be  used  at  various  points  along 
the  banks  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  for  a  space  of  two 
miles,  between  the  north  and  south  lines  of  the  city.  Within 
that  distance,  the  aggregate  amount  of  the  different  falls 
and  rapids  of  the  Genesee  is  about  260  feet,  or  a  hundred 
feet  more  than  the  perpendicular  height  of  Niagara  Falls. 

Superadded  to  all  these  concurring  sources  of  prosperity 
— not  least  though  last — we  may  refer  to  the  rich  wheat- 
growing  REGION  of  the  Genesee,  lavishing  its  bounties 
prodigally  upon  its  principal  city.  The  proverbial  fertility 
and  other  natural  advantages  of  this  section  are  exemplified 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.*  Suffice  it  here  to  say,  that  sun 
never  shone  upon  a  land  richer  in  all  the  elements  of  agri- 
cultural wealth  and  general  prosperity. 

It  maybe  that,  in  the  opinions  here  expressed,  we  are  un- 
duly influenced  by  the  partialities  that  cluster  around  home 
and  social  connexions.  It  may  be  that  the  feelings  with  which 
we  have  watched  the  progress  of  Rochester,  from  a  com- 
paratively early  state  to  its  present  palmy  condition,  have 
presented  its  advantages  in  a  position  which  obscures  the 
view  of  opposing  qualities.  We  would  not  claim  any  ex- 
emption from  the  impulses  which  urge  men  usually  to  regard 
with  favouring  eye  the  scenes  and  society  by  which  they 
are  immediately  surrounded.  Let  those  who  witness  our 
assertions  examine  the  data  by  which  they  are  sustained  in 
this  volume  :  we  ask  no  faith  where  we  present  not  facts. 

*  Page  37,  &c. 


34  PREFATORY   REMARKS. 

Past  commentaries  on  the  condition  of  the  city  may  fur- 
nish some  criteria  for  testing  our  present  estimates.  In  some 
statistical  statements  published  in  1836,  ere  yet  a  cloud  ap- 
peared to  betoken  the  difficulties  which  many  were  unwilling 
to  believe  inseparable  from  the  then  bloated  condition  of  pe- 
cuniary affairs — while  the  speculating  spirit  was  traversing 
the  land  with  railroad  speed — we  ventured  some  predictions, 
accompanied  by  a  few  of  the  facts  from  which  they  were 
deduced,  which  will  now  serve  to  show  whether  we  then 
overrated  the  stability  and  prosperity  of  Rochester.  Be- 
tween the  date  of  those  predictions  and  the  present  lime, 
pecuniary  convulsions  have  shaken  the  land  with  tre- 
mendous violence — subjecting  such  newly-founded  cities  as 
Rochester  to  ordeals  particularly  severe.  And  how  have 
our  predictions  compared  with  the  results  now  witnessed  1 
Let  that  which  we  asserted  two  years  ago  be  compared 
with  the  present  state  of  things  in  various  cities,  and  those 
who  are  conversant  with  Rochester  may  then  determine 
whether  our  calculations  have  not  withstood  the  ordeal  of  ex- 
perience as  well  as  the  city  has  encountered  the  storm  which 
has  swept  across  the  land. 

At  the  conclusion  of  some  statistical  statements  published 
in  June,  1836,  we  remarked  : — 

"  With  all  the  rage  for  speculation  westward  ;  with  all  the  new  vil- 
lages and  cities  that  have  been  laid  out  through  the  '  Far  West'  during  the 
last  twenty  years,  where,  in  what  place,  through  all  that  broad  and  fer- 
tile region,  can  there  be  shown  any  town  which  has  surpassed  Rochester 
in  the  permanent  increase  of  population,  business,  and  wealth  1  Cast 
your  eye  in  all  quarters,  and  where  can  you  behold  population  more 
enlightened,  stable,  and  persevering  ;  business  more  sound,  better  con- 
ducted, or  more  prosperous  ;  civil,  religious,  and  social  mslitulions  more 
firmly  established  ;  wealth  more  certainly  rewarding  well-directed  en- 
terprise— wealth,  consisting  not  merely  in  vacant  lots  of  immense  ima- 
ginary value,  but  in  that  species  of  property  which  must  always  be  val- 
uable from  its  constant  applicability  to  the  pursuits  and  comforts  of  an 
enterprising  community  engaged  chiefly  in  productive  labour  1 

"  Twenty  years  ago  there  were  but  331  people  where  the  City  of 
Rochester  now  stands.  The  population  had  swollen  to  1500  in  1820. 
Five  years  afterward,  1825,  the  census  showed  a  total  of  4274.  The 
United  States  census  in  1830  gave  Rochester  a  population  of  10,863, 
and  the  state  census  early  in  1835  showed  an  increase  to  between  four- 
teen and  fifteen  thousand  !  Since  that  time,  the  great  influx  of  emi- 
grants, occasioned  by  the  solid  improvement  of  the  city  in  trade  and 
manufactures,  without  any  feverish  excitement  about  real  estate,  caused 
a  larger  proportionate  increase  of  valuable  population  than  occurred  in 
any  other  equal  space  for  the  previous  seven  years  [and  Rochester  may 
now  boast  a  population  of  about  twenty  thousand  in  1838 — it  exceeded 
seventeen  thousand  at  the  close  of  1836]. 


PEEFATORY   REMARKS.  35 

"  In  the  extension  of  the  manufacturing,  milling,  and  forwarding  busi- 
ness, more  has  been  done  within  the  last  two  years  than  in  the  previous 
six  years  ;  and  from  the  impetus  given  by  the  immensely  valuable  inter- 
nal improvements,  in  progress  or  authorized  by  the  state,  as  well  as  those 
projected  by  individual  enterprise,  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  prosper- 
ity of  the  city  will,  for  the  next  five  years,  increase  in  a  ratio  surpassing 
the  most  rapid  strides  which  Rochester  has  made  from  its  foundation  to 
the  present  day. 

"  This  prediction  is  the  more  confidently  made,  from  the  facts 

"  That  the  additions  to  the  population  are  chiefly  mechanics  and  arti- 
sans characterized  by  the  ingenuity,  perseverance,  and  moral  worth 
which  constitute  the  true  riches  of  New-England  ; 

"  That  the  hydraulic  privileges,  with  the  facilities  of  trade  by  lake, 
canal,  and  railroad,  and  the  proverbial  fertility  of  the  Genesee  Valley, 
offer  to  such  a  population  strong  inducements  and  inexhaustible  means 
for  developing  our  great  resources  ; 

*'  That  the  prosperity  of  the  city  has  been  occasioned  chiefly  by  the 
toil  and  enterprise  of  hardworking  artisans  and  practical  business  men ; 
instead  of  being  bloated  into  notoriety  by  the  forced  or  fraudulent  exer- 
tions of  speculating  capitalists  ; 

*'  And  last  but  not  least,  from  the  fact,  the  important  fact,  that,  not- 
withstanding the  great  efforts  which  have  been  used  to  direct  attention 
farther  west,  Rochester  has  quietly  pursued  its  prosperous  course  almost 
wholly  uninfluenced  by  the  mad  spirit  of  speculation  which  must,  as  cer- 
tainly as  effect  follows  cause,  react  ruinously  and  speedily  upon  some  of 
the  paper  cities  that  have  been  rendered  most  notorious  in  this  way. 

"  The  lesson  on  this  subject  which  Rochester  experienced  some  seven 
years  ago,"  we  remarked  in  June,  1836,  "  was  a  moderate  lesson  com- 
pared with  that  which  certain  other  cities  and  towns  are  shortly  to  un- 
dergo. The  temporary  reverse  which  our  citizens  then  felt  has  warned 
them,  amid  all  their  subsequent  prosperity,  agamst  extravagant  and 
gambling  speculations  ;  and  now  the  credit  of  the  city  abroad  is  like  its 
prosperity  at  home — unshaken  by  those  unreal  operations  in  real  estate 
which  are  proving,  and  will  long  prove,  a  curse  to  those  places  whose 
blustering  career  for  some  time  past  has  contrasted  strongly  with  the 
steady,  and  solid,  and  noiseless  growth  of  Rochester. 

"  The  vast  water-power  yet  unemployed — water-power  which  may 
be  used  at  various  points  on  both  sides  of  the  river  for  two  miles 
through  the  city  ;  the  rich  agricultural  region  around  Rochester ;  the 
facilities  for  trade  and  travel  by  canal,  lake,  river,  and  railroad,  as  well 
as  those  anticipated  from  the  great  public  improvements  commenced  or 
contemplated  ;  the  opportunities  presented  for  prosecuting  the  woollen, 
cotton, paper,  andiron  manufacture  to  a  greater  extent — but  little,  com- 
paratively speaking,  having  yet  been  done  in  those  branches  of  busi- 
ness— the  favourable  openings  for  commencing  the  manufacture  of  glass 
and  sundry  other  articles  ;  the  benefits  that  must  result  to  our  large 
forwarding  and  boatbuilding  interests  from  the  enlargement  of  the  Erie 
Canal,  and  from  the  construction  of  the  Genesee  Canal ;  the  advantages 
that  may  be  expected  from  railroads  to  connect  east  and  west  with  the 
Tonnewanta  Railroad,  giving  to  Rochester  all  the  benefits  of  railroad 
(as  well  as  canal  and  lake)  communication  with  the  West  and  with  the 
East ;  and  last  but  not  least,  the  enlightened  and  enterprising  charac- 
ter of  the  people  by  whom  so  much  has  been  already  accomplished  in 


36  PREFATORY    REMARKS. 

rendering  Rochester  what  it  is — each  and  all  of  these  considerations 
proclaim  in  terms  which  cannot  be  mistaken,  what  Rochester  must  and 
will  be,  as  its  yet  unimproved  ajid  immense  resources  are  gradually 
made  available  through  the  energy  of  the  population. 

"  It  is  a  fact  well  worthy  of  remark,  that  Monroe  county,  in  which 
Rochester  is  situate,  holds  about  the  same  relative  rank  among  the 
counties  that  Rochester  does  among  the  cities  of  the  state.  It  is  but 
about  thirteen  years  since  Monroe  was  made  a  county,  with  a  population 
of  23,000  ;  while  by  the  census  of  1835  it  showed  a  population  of  fifty- 
eight  thousand — and  now  exceeds  sixty  thousand.  So  that,  so  far 
as  population  is  concerned,  Monroe  is  fourth  only  in  the  rank  of  coun- 
ties, as  Rochester  is  among  the  cities — while  the  business  of  both,  in 
many  respects,  places  them  in  the  third  class  of  cities  and  counties  in 
this  '  Empire  State.'  These  facts  are  highly  important,  showing  as 
they  do  that  the  city,  large  as  is  its  increase,  is  sustained  in  its  progress 
by  the  improvement  of  the  surrounding  country. 

"  On  a  calm  retrospect  of  the  past — in  the  bright  anticipations  of  the 
future — what  citizen  of  Rochester  can  find  any  cause  for  envying  the 
growth  or  prosperity  of  any  other  city  either  '  Down  East'  or  in  the  '  Far 
West!'" 

The  comparative  tranquillity  and  continued  prosperity  of 
Rochester  during  the  revolutions  which  have  distracted 
business  so  essentially  elsewhere  during  the  past  year, 
abundantly  verify  the  predictions  hazarded  as  above  in  the 
summer  of  1836.  The  statements  which  have  thus  with- 
stood the  ordeal  of  a  trying  crisis  are  in  their  general  tenour 
equally  applicable  to  the  present  condition  of  the  city. 

The  character  of  the  people  of  Rochester  cannot  be  ade- 
quately estimated  without  considering  the  various  moral,  re- 
ligious, and  political  enterprises*  wherein  their  spirit  and 
energy  have  been  displayed.  Additional  to  their  toil  in  ad- 
vancing their  private  fortunes  and  constructing  their  dwell- 
ings, see  what  has  been  done  by  them,  not  merely  in  church- 
building,  but  in  contributions  of  personal  service  and  pecu- 
niary assistance  to  the  great  schemes  of  reformation  which 
are  now  quietly  revolutionizing  the  world.*  The  demands 
for  local  purposes!  in  the  city  which  has  suddenly  sprung 
up  through  their  industry  have  not  prevented  them  from  be- 
stowing adequate  attention  on  the  general  advancement  of 
the  state  in  legislation  and  physical  improvement.;}: 

But  it  is  our  purpose  to  furnish  particulars  rather  than 
generalities.  And  with  these  prefatory  remarks,  we  refer 
those  who  have  any  curiosity  in  the  matter  to  the  various 
papers  of  this  volume  calculated  to  elucidate  the  positions 
we  have  already  assumed. 

*P.  290-317.       tP.  379-80.         J  P.  175-6,  &c.,  317,  &c. 


t\--  \ 


4k 


k 


36  PREFATORY    REliARKS. 

rendering  Rochcstrr  what  it  is — each  and  all  of  these  considerationt 
proclaim  in  tcnns  which  cannot  bi>  mistaken,  what  Kochestrr  must  and 
will  be,  as  its  vet  unimproved  and  immense  resources  are  graduallj 
made  available  Uirough  the  cnerjiry  of  the  po|iulation. 

'*  It  IS  a  fact  well  worthy  of  rtmark,  that  Monroe  county,  in  which 
Rochester  is  situate,  holds  about  tlie  same  relative  rank  among  the 
counties  that  Rochester  does  among  the  cities  of  the  state.  It  is  but 
about  thirteen  years  since  Monroe  was  made  a  county,  with  a  population 
of  23,000  ;  while  by  the  census  of  1835  it  showed  a  population  of  fifty- 
eight  thousand — and  now  exceeds  sixty  thoi'sanp.  So  that,  so  far 
as  population  is  concerned,  Monroe  is  fourth  only  in  the  rank  of  coun- 
ties, as  Roclu'sler  is  among  the  cities — while  the  business  of  l)oth,  in 
many  respects,  places  them  in  the  third  clans  of  cities  and  counties  in 
this  'Empire  State.'  'Ihose  facts  are  highly  important,  showing  as 
they  do  that  the  city,  large  as  is  its  increase,  is  sustained  in  its  progress 
by  the  improvement  of  the  surrounding  country. 

"  On  a  calm  retrospect  of  the  past — in  the  bright  anticipations  of  the 
future — what  citizen  of  Rochester  can  find  any  cause  for  envying  the 
growth  or  proaperitv  of  anv  other  city  either  '  Down  East'  or  in  the  '  Far 
WestV" 

The  comparative  iranquillity  and  continued  prosperity  of 
Rochester  during  the  revolutions  wliicli  liave  distracted 
business  so  essentially  elsewhere  during  the  past  year, 
abundantly  verify  the  predirtions  hazarded  as  above  in  the 
summer  of  183G.  Tlie  statements  which  have  thus  with- 
stood the  ordeal  tif  a  trying  crisis  are  in  their  general  tenour 
equally  applicable  to  the  present  condition  of  tlie  city. 

The  character  of  the  people  of  Rochester  cannot  be  ade- 
quately estimated  without  considering  the  various  moral,  re- 
ligious, and  political  enterprises*  wherein  their  spirit  and 
energy  have  been  displayed.  Additional  to  their  toil  in  ad- 
vancing their  private  fortunes  and  constructing  their  dwell- 
ings, see  what  has  been  done  by  them,  not  merely  in  church- 
building,  but  in  contributions  of  personal  service  and  pecu- 
niary assistance  to  the  great  schemes  of  reformation  which 
are  now  quietly  revolutionizing  the  world.*  'I'he  demands 
for  local  purposes!  in  the  city  which  has  suddenly  sprung 
up  through  their  industry  have  not  prevented  them  from  be- 
stowing adequate  attention  on  the  general  advancement  of 
the  state  in  legislation  and  physical  improvement.;}; 

But  it  is  our  purpose  to  furnish  particulars  rather  than 
generalities.  And  with  these  prefatory  remarks,  we  refer 
those  who  have  any  curiosity  in  the  matter  to  the  various 
papers  of  this  volume  calculated  to  elucidate  the  positions 
we  have  already  assumed. 

♦  P.  290-317.       t  P.  379-50.         J  P.  175-6,  &c.,  317,  &c. 


i/ 


/^ 


CLIMATE,  SOIL,  AND  PRODUCTIONS. 


The  City  of  Rochester  and  the  Valley  of  the  Genesee  are 
so  intimately  connected  in  their  resources  and  interests,  that 
an  account  of  the  town  would  be  essentially  defective  with- 
out ample  reference  to  the  rich  country  of  which  it  may  be 
termed  the  capital. 

The  Genesee  Valley,  by  which  is  understood  the 
whole  territory  drained  by  the  Genesee  River,  is  one  of  the 
most  important  sections  of  the  State  of  New- York,  whether 
considered  with  reference  to  position,  extent,  fertility,  or 
variety  of  production.  Two  causes  principally  contribute 
to  this  distinction — its  soil  and  its  climate.  The  charac- 
ter of  the  first  must,  as  in  most  other  cases,  depend  on  the 
geological  structure  of  the  country  and  the  causes  that  have 
been  brought  to  operate  on  this  structure  :  in  the  Genesee 
Valley  these  causes  have  mostly  been  the  natural  ones  of 
disintegration  and  decomposition,  which  aided  in  forming 
the  immense  alluvial  deposites  for  which  it  is  so  deservedly 
famed,  by  the  action  of  the  river  and  its  tributaries. 

Rising  in  the  heart  of  Potter  county,  Pennsylvania,  the 
Genesee  River  flows  north  into  the  State  of  New-York,  and, 
crossing  its  entire  breadth,  is  discharged  into  Lake  Ontario. 
Its  course  in  a  direct  line  in  this  state  is  nearly  ninety 
miles  ;  its  whole  course  perhaps  one  hundred  and  thirty. 
In  this  state  its  course  is  winding  through  the  counties  of 
Allegany,  Livingston,  and  Monroe — its  general  direction 
from  south  to  north.  The  average  width  of  the  country 
drained  by  the  Genesee  River  may  be  about  twenty-five 
miles,  and  the  territory  in  this  state  about  2300  square 
miles. 

The  soil  of  the  Genesee  Valley  partakes  of  the  nature 
and  qualities  of  the  formations  beneath — on  the  elevated 
lands  has  evidently  been  produced  by  disintegration  and 
4 


38  SKETCHES    OF   ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

decomposition,  and  on  the  flats  by  deposition  :  the  character 
of  these  alhivial  depositeswill  therefore  be  determined  by  that 
of  the  country  through  which  the  river  flows.  The  Genesee 
River  may  be  considered  as  occupying  two  extensive  levels  ; 
the  first  reaching  from  Rochester  to  the  Falls  at  Nunda  or 
Portage,  upward  of  forty  miles,  and  the  other  from  these 
falls  to  its  source  :  and  these  levels  are  not  more  distinctly 
marked  by  the  falls  that  terminate  them,  than  by  the  difl'er- 
ence  in  the  soils  that  constitute  them.  The  river  has  its 
source  among  the  hills  at  die  northern  extremity  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania coal  formation.  After  entering  this  state,  its  course 
for  forty  miles  in  Allegany  county  is  through  the  sandstone 
and  argillaceous  slate  that  constitute  the  transition  rocks  of 
the  southern  slope  of  the  Western  District ;  and,  of  course,  the 
upper  part  of  the  valley  is  siliceous,  or  inclining  to  sand  and 
loam.  In  the  northern  part  of  Allegany  county,  the  river 
passes  through  the  elevated  ridge  dividing  the  waters  of  the 
lakes  from  those  that  flow  into  the  Allegany  and  the  Susque- 
hannah  ;  a  ridge  broken  through  by  no  other  stream  in  its 
whole  extent  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  primitive  region  cast  of 
the  Black  River.  On  this  elevated  range,  here  as  else- 
where, the  soil  assumes  a  more  compact  texture,  owing  to 
the  decomposition  of  the  argillaceous  slate  of  the  higher 
part  of  the  northern  slope,  and  begins  to  exhibit  in  the 
streams  and  the  earth  those  traces  of  lime  of  which  the 
southern  slope  is  so  remarkably  and  entirely  destitute.  At 
the  falls  of  the  river  at  Nunda  a  new  formation  may  be  said 
to  discover  itself,  of  which  lime  in  some  form  is  the  basis, 
exerting  a  corresponding  influence  in  determining  the  char- 
acter and  qualities  of  the  soil ;  and  which,  with  trifling  ex- 
ceptions, continues  to  the  mouth  of  the  river.  At  first  the 
limestone  is  schistose,  then  bituminous,  and  finally  compact, 
as  may  be  seen  by  an  examination  of  the  Falls  at  Nunda 
and  at  Rochester.  Beneath  the  limestone,  and  forming  a 
narrow  tract  of  country  between  the  limestone  rock  and 
Lake  Ontario,  is  a  stratum  of  red  sandstone,  which,  in  its 
limited  extent,  is  not  without  its  influence  on  the  soil.  The 
vast  quantities  of  calcareous  and  argillaceous  earth,  how- 
ever, that  have  been  carried  down  from  the  great  masses 
lying  above,  and  deposited  on  this  sandstone  slope,  has 
mostly  obviated  the  barrenness  that  would  naturally  have 
resulted  from  the  disintegration  of  this  stone  ;  and,  for  some 
purposes,  constituted  one  of  the  finest  soils  in  the  state. 


CLIMATE,    SOIL,   AND   PRODUCTIONS.  39 

Nowhere  can  there  be  found  soils  of  more  inexhaustible 
fertility  than  the  far-famed  Flats  of  the  Genesse  River. 
These  extend,  with  a  width  varying  from  one  mile  to  two 
and  a  half  miles,  more  than  sixty  miles  in  length.  They  are 
marked,  of  course,  by  the  peculiarities  of  the  country  through 
which  the  river  flows,  but  their  general  character  of  fertility 
is  the  same.  Above  Portageville,  the  principal  ingredients 
are  pebbles,  sand,  and  vegetable  matter,  with  a  sufficient 
mixture  of  argillaceous  earth  to  give  compactness,  and  pre- 
vent the  soil  being  porous.  Below  the  Falls  of  Nunda, 
washed  argillaceous  slate,  decomposed  bituminous  shale, 
giving  a  peculiar  dark  hue  to  the  deposite,  lime  in  the  shape 
of  pebbles  and  calcareous  matter,  and  a  copious  admixture 
of  vegetable  mould,  are  the  principal  characteristics.  As  the 
Ontario  is  approached  and  the  limestone  strata  become  more 
fully  uncovered,  the  quantity  of  calcareous  matter  is  greatly 
increased,  and,  for  the  last  twenty  miles,  a  large  proportion  of 
the  earth  is  composed  of  this  ingredient  under  some  one  of 
its  many  forms. 

One  of  the  most  important  considerations  that  give  char- 
acter to,  and  enter  into  our  estimate  of  any  country,  must  be 
derived  from  the  climate,  as  on  that  so  much  of  the  health, 
happiness,  and  prosperity  of  the  population  must  be  depend- 
ing. The  climate  of  the  Genesee  Valley  partakes  of  the 
natural  influences  that  operate  in  this  latitude,  to  which  are 
added  some  peculiar  to  itself,  arising  from  its  location  M'ith 
reference  to  the  great  lakes.  It  is  a  well-ascertained  fact,  that 
the  general  course  of  the  winds  in  any  country  is  greatly  in- 
fluenced by  ranges  of  mountains,  the  valleys  of  large  rivers, 
or  extensive  bodies  of  water  ;  and  this  truth  is  nowhere  more 
strikingly  apparent  than  in  the  country  occupied  by  the  great 
lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence.  In  all  the  United  States  west 
of  the  Allegany  Mountains,  the  winds  for  a  large  part  of  the 
year  are  from  some  point  between  west  and  southwest,  and 
in  the  valley  of  the  lakes  this  direction  becomes  more  prev- 
alent and  its  effects  more  apparent.  The  appearance  of  the 
primitive  forests  of  western  New- York,  and,  since  these  have 
been  cleared  away,  the  orchards  which  have  partially  taken 
their  place,  proves  this  fact  beyond  a  doubt.  The  whole 
woodlands  at  the  eastern  shores  of  Erie  and  Ontario  Lakes 
have  a  sensible  inclination  to  the  east ;  a  character  so  marked 
as  to  arrest  the  notice  of  every  observing  traveller  or  individ- 


40  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

ual ;  and,  in  our  orchards,  planted  where  ihey  are  freely 
exposed  to  the  prevailing  currents  of  air,  three  fourths  of 
the  trees  will  be  found  leaning  to  some  point  between  east 
and  northeast.  This  can  be  attributed  to  nothing  but  the 
influence  of  the  prevailing  winds.  Indeed,  so  well  is  this 
understood,  that,  in  planting  trees,  it  is  customary  to  give 
them  a  slight  inclination  to  the  southwest,  in  order  to  coun- 
teract this  tendency.  If  any  one  is  still  incredulous  as  to 
this  general  direction  of  the  wind  in  the  great  valley  of  the 
lakes,  or  anywhere  west  of  the  Allegany  Mountains,  let  him 
examine  the  first  wood  of  tall  hemlocks  thrown  in  his  way, 
and  he  will  find,  in  the  uniform  direction  of  the  long  flexible 
twig  that  points  the  conical  top  of  these  trees,  an  argument 
of  the  most  unanswerable  kind. 

Observations  have  made  it  certain  that  the  climate  of  any 
place  must  in  a  great  measure  depend  on  the  temperature  of 
the  region  (whether  it  be  land  or  water)  over  which  the  pre- 
vailing current  of  air  flows  ;  and  this  fact  is  apparent  in  the 
Genesee  Vulley.  If  the  general  course  of  the  wind  is  from 
the  southwest,  the  influence  of  the  lower  Mississippi  and  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  is  felt  in  elevating  the  temperature,  and,  of 
course,  modifying  the  climate  ;  if  the  current  is  from  the  west, 
the  great  lakes,  never,  as  a  whole,  cooled  down  to  the  freez- 
ing point,  must  exert  the  same  general  sensible  tendency ; 
and,  opening  as  the  Genesee  Valley  does  on  the  southern 
shore  of  the  Ontario,  not  far  from  midway  between  its  two 
extremities,  if  the  wind  is  from  any  northern  point,  its  sever- 
ity is  mitigated  and  equalized  by  the  open  waters  of  the  lake. 
These  great  bodies  of  water  that  lie  to  the  west  and  north 
of  the  Genesee  Valley  are  raised  by  the  heats  of  summer  to 
a  temperature  greater  than  that  of  the  earth  ;  and  as  a  longer 
winter  than  ours  is  required  to  reduce  them  to  the  freezing 
point,  they  act  as  immense  heaters  on  the  incumbent  atmo- 
sphere or  the  passing  winds,  preventing  those  sudden  fluctua- 
tions and  depressions  of  temperature  that  produce  early 
frost,  so  injurious  in  places  more  remote  from  their  influence. 
Their  effects  are  not  less  sensibly  felt  in  equalizing  the 
temperature  of  the  early  spring,  by  preventing  an  undue  heat 
and  consequent  premature  putting  forth  of  vegetation ;  an 
eflfect  which  is  frequently  most  destructive  to  fruits  where 
not  checked  by  this  cause.  Even  the  chain  of  small  lakes 
discharged  by  the  Seneca  River  and  the  Oswego  have  a  de- 
cided influence  on  the  temperature  of  the  country  on  their 
margins,  and  this  is  the  more  sensible  on  those  that  remain 


CLIMATE,    SOIL,    AND   PRODUCTIONS.  41 

unfrozen  the  longest.  To  these  general  truths,  the  multi- 
plied thermometrical  observations  made  within  a  few  years, 
in  our  public  institutions  and  by  private  individuals,  offer  the 
most  conclusive  testimony. 

Sundry  important  tables  illustrative  of  this  interesting 
subject  will  be  found  at  the  conclusion  of  this  article,  which 
will  amply  repay  the  attention  requisite  for  a  careful  exami- 
nation.    (See  p.  48,  &c.) 

By  comparing  these  results  with  tables  of  temperature  in 
other  places  of  the  same  latitude  on  this  continent,  it  will 
appear  that  Rochester  has  the  advantage  of  most  of 

THEM    IN    EQUALITY    OF    SEASONS. 

In  going  eastward  from  Rochester,  we  find  that  at  Utica, 
Albany,  Pittsfield,  Northampton,  and  even  in  the  vicinity  of 
Boston,  the  thermometer  is  below  zero  more  frequently  than 
in  that  city ;  and  that  in  most  years  it  sinks  many  degrees 
lower  in  those  places  than  has  ever  been  known  at  Roches- 
ter. In  going  west,  at  Buffalo,  Detroit,  and  until  a  position 
west  of  the  lakes  has  been  gained,  the  temperature  much 
resembles  that  of  Rochester,  though  from  the  causes  men- 
tioned it  is  nowhere  so  equable,  especially  during  the  win- 
ter months.  West  of  the  great  lakes,  a  west  wind  during 
the  winter  months  produces  a  great  degree  of  cold,  sweep- 
ing as  it  does  over  an  ahnost  unbroken  plain  of  ice  and 
snow  from  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Thus  a  west  wind  or 
northwest  will  sink  the  thermometer  at  Galena  or  Chicago 
far  below  zero,  when  the  influence  of  the  lakes  will  prevent 
its  reaching  that  point  at  Rochester  ;  and  at  Cincinnati  and 
Marietta  the  mercury  usually  descends  several  degrees  in 
the  course  of  the  winter  below  what  it  does  on  the  south 
shore  of  the  Ontario. 

These  remarks  will  principally  apply  to  the  lower  part 
of  the  Genesee  Valley.  As  the  country  rises  to  the  south, 
the  influence  of  the. lakes  become  less  apparent;  the  degree 
of  cold  during  the  winter  increases  ;  the  changes  are  more 
sudden  and  extreme  ;  and,  when  the  elevated  lands  are  gain- 
ed, the  climate  and  the  meteorological  aspect  becomes  the 
same  as  in  other  sections  of  the  interior.  Thus  it  not  un- 
frequently  happens,  that  during  the  prevalence  of  north 
winds  in  the  early  part  of  winter,  fog,  mist,  or  rain  will  pre- 
vail at  Rochester ;  some  ten  or  twenty  miles  in  the  interior 
snow  begins  to  mingle  with  the  rain ;  and  on  and  south  of 
the  dividing  ridge,  snow  will  be  falling  in  great  quantities. 
4* 


42  SKETCHES    OF    KOCIIESTER,    ETC. 

This  phenomenon  may  be  noticed  as  far  as  Oswego  on  the 
east  and  the  shore  of  Erie  on  the  west. 

The  capabilities  of  any  country  for  the  production  of  the 
numerous  varieties  of  vegetable  nature,  and  the  kinds  best 
adapted  to  the  soil  of  any  particular  region,  may  be  gen- 
erally correctly  inferred  when  the  constituents  of  that  soil 
and  the  peculiarities  of  the  climate  are  fully  understood. 
Judging  from  these  indications,  the  Valley  of  the  Genesee 
should  be  equal  in  productiveness  to  any  part  of  the  world 
in  the  temperate  zones  ;  and  that  such  is  the  fact,  we  have 
the  most  conclusive  and  satisfactory  evidence. 

Wheat  is  at  present,  and  will  probably  long  remain  the 
great  object  of  cultivation  ;  and  the  quantities  produced  be- 
tween the  Ontario  and  the  Falls  of  Nunda  at  Tortageville, 
which  may  be  considered  the  southern  limit  of  the  wheat 
country  proper,  would  almost  exceed  belief;  and  in  quality 
as  well  as  quantity  is  generally  considered  much  beyond 
that  of  any  other  section  of  the  country.  It  was  for  many 
years  supposed  that  the  rich  flats  of  the  Genesee  River  were 
unsuited  to  the  production  of  wheat,  it  being  imagined  that 
the  growth  would  be  so  luxuriant  as  to  produce  lodging  of 
the  grain  and  mildew,  and  the  consequent  destruction  of  the 
crop.  To  a  certain  extent  this  was  and  still  ma}'  be  true 
on  some  of  the  more  moist  and  recent  alluvial  sections  ;  but 
the  general  introduction  of  the  harder-stemmed  varieties  of 
wheat,  in  place  of  the  former  kinds  of  red  wheat,  such  as 
the  white  liint  in  the  place  of  the  red  chaff  and  bearded 
reds,  has  in  a  great  measure  obviated  these  difhculties,  and 
the  flats  are  now  as  celebrated  for  wheat  as  they  formerly 
were  for  corn.  Of  this  the  following  instances,  and  they 
might  be  multiplied  to  almost  any  extent,  will  be  perfectly 
conclusive  : — 

In  1835  Messrs.  P.  and  G.  Mills  cut  from  twenty-seven 
acres  on  the  Genesee  Flats  near  Mount  Morris,  1270  bush- 
els of  wheat,  or  forty-seven  bushels  to  the  acre.  In  1834 
the  same  gentlemen  cut  from  eighty  acres  three  thousand  two 
hundred  bushels  of  wheat,  being  forty  bushels  to  the  acre. 
The  most  beautiful  field  of  corn  we  ever  saw  was  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1833,  on  the  farm  of  W.  C.  Dwight,  Esq.,  on  the  flats 
a  few  miles  above  Geneseo.  There  was  one  hundred  and 
seventy  acres  lying  in  one  body,  and  from  it  he  harvested 
twelve  thousand  eight  hundred  bushels  of  shelled  corn.  In 
1834  the  same  gentleman  had  twenty  acres  of  wheat,  which 


CLIMATE,    SOIL,   AND    PRODUCTIONS.  43 

averaged  forty-eight  bushels  per  acre,  and  two  acres  of  the 
best  of  which  produced  fifty-two  bushels  per  acre.  The 
elevated  country  on  the  east  and  west  of  the  river  is  scarcely 
inferior  in  the  growth  of  wheat ;  the  greatest  amount  we 
believe  on  record  as  the  well-authenticated  product  of  a  sin- 
gle acre  having  been  raised  by  Mr.  Jirah  Blackmore,  of 
Wheatland,  being  sixty-four  bushels  per  acre. 

Above  the  falls  of  the  Genesee  at  Portageville,  the  dis- 
tance of  a  few  miles  makes  a  marked  distinction  in  the  char- 
acter of  the  soil  and  its  productions  generally  ;  a  distinction 
which  is  readily  seen  from  Erie  to  the  Oneida,  as  the  divi- 
ding ridge  is  approached  or  crossed,  and  which  frequently 
rests  on  a  narrow  valley  or  the  passage  of  a  little  brook. 
This  distinction,  as  we  have  already  intimated,  depends  on 
the  greater  quantities  of  clay  mingled  in  the  soil,  and  the 
decrease  of  lime.  On  the  river  flats  above  Portageville 
wheat  is  cultivated  to  some  extent,  but  the  great  object  of 
the  farmer  is  corn,  and  this  crop  is  usually  very  heavy. 
On  the  elevated  lands  of  the  Genesee  Valley  the  attention 
of  the  owners  of  the  soil  will  be  principally  directed  to  the 
growth  of  wool,  the  raising  cattle  for  market,  and  the  vari- 
ous products  of  the  dairy.  Spring  grain,  such  as  spring 
wheat,  barley,  oats,  &;c.,  can  be  produced  to  any  desirable 
amount :  no  country  can  exceed  it  in  the  production  of  the 
grasses  ;  and  when  the  Genesee  Valley  canal  and  the  New- 
York  and  Erie  railroad  shall  have  developed  its  resources 
in  connexion  with  the  coal  and  iron  mines  of  Northern 
Pennsylvania,  it  will  not  be  found  one  of  the  least  inviting 
sections  of  our  extended  country. 

It  must  be  evident,  from  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  the  pe- 
culiarities of  climate  in  the  lower  Genesee  Valley,  that  it  is 
admirably  adapted  to  the  production  and  perfection  of  the 
various  fruits  and  vegetables  raised  in  our  latitudes.  It  is 
found  that  the  various  kinds  of  hardy  fruits,  such  as  the 
apple,  pear,  plum,  quince,  cherry,  &c.,  are  of  the  best  varie- 
ties and  easily  cultivated ;  and  that  many  of  the  more  deli- 
cate fruits,  such  as  peaches,  apricots,  nectarines,  grapes, 
&c.,  attain  a  size  and  richness  of  flavour  rarely  equalled  in 
our  northern  latitudes.  Of  these  facts  a  visit  to  the  Roches- 
ter fruit-markets  at  the  proper  seasons  will  convince  any 
observer,  and  show  that  the  southern  shore  of  the  Ontario 
is  emphatically  a  fruit  country.  A  great  variety  of  orna- 
mental trees  and  shrubs,  which  are  unable  to  withstand  the 


44  SKETCHES    OF    ROCUESTER,    ETC. 

early  frosts  and  severe  cold  of  the  valleys  of  the  Hudson 
and  the  Connecticut,  succeed  without  trouble  in  the  vicinity 
of  Rochester  and  the  Ontario.  That  the  Valley  of  the 
Genesee  is  adapted  to  the  growth  of  silk  would  seem  clear 
from  the  fact  that  the  various  kinds  of  foreign  mulberries, 
such  as  the  Chinese,  Broussn,  and  Italian,  withstand  the 
usual  cold  of  our  winters  without  injury,  but  aUo  that  the 
wild  mulberry  is  found  on  the  Upper  Genesee  and  many  of 
its  branches. 

The  region  of  the  Genesee  Valley  must,  from  the  con- 
stituents of  the  soil  and  its  unilbrm  great  fertility,  enable  the 
gardener  or  the  farmer  to  produce  all  the  varieties  of  roots 
usually  cultivated,  and  in  any  desirable  quantity.  The  vast 
and  beautiful  maple  forests  of  the  u])per  part  of  the  valley 
are  now  sutlicient  to  supply  millions  with  sugar  ;  but  these 
are  rapidly  decreasing  before  the  advancing  wave  of  popu- 
lation, the  unsparing  axe  of  the  woodman,  and  the  demand 
for  ashes  for  manufacturing  and  commercial  purposes  ;  and 
the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  a  supply  of  that  indispen- 
sable commodity  must  be  looked  for  elsewhere.  If,  as  is 
hoped,  the  manufacture  of  beet  sugar  should  succeed  in  this 
country  as  in  France,  it  will  be  found  that  no  part  of  the 
United  States  can  equal  the  Genesee  Valley  in  the  growth 
of  that  root  :  so  at  least  experiments  already  made  would 
seem  to  indicate.  In  the  llourishing  and  extensive  nurse- 
ries and  gardens  of  Rochester  may  be  found  abnndant  proof 
of  the  capabilities  of  this  region  in  these  respects;  and  that 
the  horticulturist  and  floriculturist  cannot  desire  a  more  fa- 
vourable theatre  for  the  display  of  his  skill,  or  where  their 
exertions  are  more  certain  of  being  crowned  with  success. 

The  geological  formation  of  Western  New-York  is  marked 
by  a  regularity  truly  surprising ;  and  the  native  forests  of 
the  whole  country,  as  well  as  those  of  the  Genesee  Valley, 
will  serve  as  almost  unfailing  indications  of  the  soil  beneath. 
Over  the  whole  extent  of  this  territory  it  may  be  said  that 
oak  timber  marks  a  soil  of  which  the  base  is  calcareous,  or 
in  which  more  or  less  lime  is  present.  The  prevalence  of 
elm,  beech,  and  maple  distinguish  those  in  which  aluminous 
earth  preponderates  ;  and  where  pine,  hemlock,  and  birch 
prevail,  the  soil  varies  from  loam  to  sandy,  or  is  siliceous  in 
its  character.  With  few  exceptions,  and  those  not  in  the 
Genesee  Valley,  observation  will  show  that  such  is  the  fact. 
From  the  shore  of  the  Ontario  to  the  falls  of  the  Genesee  at 


CLIMATE,   SOIL,   AND    PRODUCTIONS.  45 

Portageville,  over  the  red  sandstone  and  limestone  to  the 
verge  of  the  argillaceous  slate,  the  prevailing  timber  is  oak, 
mixed  with  other  varieties  of  trees,  plainly  denoting  the  cal- 
careous nature  of  the  soil ;  and,  with  the  disappearance  of 
the  oak  lands,  passes  away  also  the  soils  best  adapted  to 
wheat.  The  argillaceous  or  clayey  nature  of  the  dividing 
ridge,  whh  a  considerable  extent  on  both  sides,  and  spurs 
or  elevated  ranges  of  the  same  kind  of  rock  that  occasionally 
extend  north  or  south  beyond  its  usual  limits,  as  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Genesee  river,  is  marked  by  the  beech  and  maple 
forests  ;  while  the  siliceous  lands  formed  by  the  decomposi- 
tion of  the  sandstone  formation,  as  we  approach  the  Penn- 
sylvania line,  are  covered  with  the  magnificent  white  pine, 
which  occasionally  descends  into  the  river-bottoms,  as  well 
as  crowns  the  neighbouring  hills. 

In  concluding  these  observations  on  the  soil  and  climate 
of  the  Genesee  Valley,  we  may  remark  that  it  may  well  be 
questioned,  when  its  known  capabilities  are  considered, 
whether  any  section  of  the  United  States,  of  the  same  num- 
ber of  square  miles,  can  be  found  capable  of  supporting  a 
greater  population,  and  supplying  them  with  all  the  neces- 
saries and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life,  than  the  Valley  of 
THE  Genesee  River.  It  has  with  great  truth  been  denom- 
inated THE  Granary  of  America  ;  and  should  circum- 
stances direct  in  proper  channels,  and  no  unforeseen  events 
unite  to  check  the  enterprise  and  mar  the  prosperity  of  the 
inhabitants,  it  can  and  will,  with  equal  truth  and  justice, 
claim,  ere  long,  that  of  the  Garden  of  the  Country.  No 
element  of  prosperity  or  happiness  appears  to  be  wanting. 
In  the  Genesee  Valley  Nature  appears  to  have  faithfully 
performed  her  part :  it  only  remains  for  the  inhabitants  to 
appreciate  and  improve  the  advantages  she  has  so  prodigally 
placed  in  their  hands. 


INFLUENCE  OF  THE  LAKES  ON  THE  CLIMATE. 

The  effects  of  the  great  lakes  on  the  temperature  of  the 
country  were  not  unmarked  by  the  early  settlers  and  travel- 
lers. In  connexion  with  the  foregoing  remarks,  and  pre- 
liminary to  the  tabular  statements  deduced  from  recent  ob- 
servations, it  may  be  interesting  to  some  to  notice  the  re- 
marks made  by  President  D  wight  while  on  a  tour  through 


4(5  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

Western  New- York  about  thirty  years  ago.  It  is  satisfac- 
tory to  us  to  be  able  now  to  supply  some  "  facts  on  which  a 
decision  can  be  correctly  founded,"  even  though  but  half  the 
period  has  elapsed  that  he  deemed  requisite  for  the  ob- 
servations. 

"The  climate  of  this  region  differs  in  several  respects 
from  that  of  New-England,  and  from  that  of  New-York 
along  the  Hudson,  and,  in  some  parts  of  the  region  itself, 
differs  sensibly  from  that  ol"  others,"  said  President  Dwight. 
"  What  it  will  ultimately  appear  to  be  cannot  be  determined 
till  a  longer  time  shall  have  elapsed  after  the  date  of  its 
first  settlement,  and  more  and  more  accurate  observations 
shall  have  been  made  concerning  the  subject.  'J'here  is,  so 
far  as  my  observation  has  extended,  a  circuit  of  seasons  in 
this  country,  and  perhaps  in  many  others,  accomplished  in 
periods  of  from  ten  to  perliaps  fifteen  years.  'J'he  period 
in  which  most  of  this  tract  has  been  settled,  commencing 
in  the  year  1791  and  terminating  with  the  year  1801,  has 
been  distinijuished  by  an  almost  regular  succession  of  warm 
seasons.  There  were  but  three  cold  winters,  namely,  those 
of  1792,  1798,  and  1799.  The  summers  were  all  warm. 
What  the  state  of  the  climate  was  here  during  the  preceding 
cold  period,  from  the  year  1780  to  the  year  1790  inclusive,  it 
is  impossible  to  decide.*  In  the  census  of  1790  three  town- 
ships only  are  mentioned  west  of  the  German  Flats — Whites- 
town,  Chemung,  and  Chenango  ;  and  these  contained  at  that 
time  but  3427  inhabitants,  although  they  included  nearly  ev- 

*  The  winter  of  1779-80  was,  in  the  Genesee  country  as  on  the 
Atlantic  coast,  remarkable  for  its  severity.  Its  great  rigour  oj)erated 
with  tremendous  severity  upon  the  Indians  who  were  suffering  from 
the  destruction  of  their  homes  and  provisions  by  the  army  of  Sullivan. 
The  "  "White  AVoman,"  whose  testimony  is  frequently  quoted  in  this 
work,  in  mentioning  some  of  the  privations  to  which  her  Indian  associ- 
ates were  subjected  after  the  avenging  course  of  the  American  troops, 
said  in  1823,  "  The  succeeding  winter  (1779-80)  was  the  most  severe 
that  I  have  witnessed  since  my  remembrance.  The  snow  fell  about 
five  feet  deep,  and  remained  so  for  a  long  time  ;  and  the  weather  was 
extremely  cold,  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  almost  all  the  game  upon  which 
the  Indians  depended  for  subsistence  perished,  and  reduced  them  al- 
most to  a  state  of  starvation  through  that  and  three  or  four  succeeding 
years.  When  the  snow  melted  in  the  spring,  deer  were  found  dead 
upon  the  ground  in  vast  numbers  ;  and  other  animals  of  various  descrip- 
tions perished  from  the  cold  also,  and  were  found  dead  in  multitudes. 
Many  of  our  [Indian]  people  barely  escaped  with  their  lives,  and  some 
actually  died  of  hunger  and  freezing." 


CLIMATE,    SOIL,    AND    PRODUCTIONS.  47 

ery  individual  of  European  extraction.  Half  a  century  at 
least  will  be  necessary  to  furnish  the  facts  on  which  such  a 
decision  can  be  correctly  founded.  Still  I  am  of  opinion  that 
the  climate  of  this  tract  is  milder  than  that  of  the  eastern 
parts  of  New-York  and  New-England  which  lie  in  the  same 
latitude.  The  cause  of  this  peculiar  mildness  I  suppose  to  be 
the  great  lakes  ;  which,  commencing  in  its  vicinity,  extend 
along  its  whole  northern  boundary  and  almost  all  its  west- 
ern ;  and  thence,  in  a  western  and  northwestern  direction, 
almost  to  the  middle  of  North  America.  That  these  lakes 
do  not  contribute  to  render  this  climate  colder,  has,  I  trust, 
been  heretofore  satisfactorily  evinced ;  that  they  make  it 
hotter  has  never  been  supposed. 

"  It  has  been  extensively  agreed  by  modern  philosophers 
that  the  two  great  causes  of  a  mild  temperature  are  nearness 
to  the  shore  and  proximity  to  the  level  of  the  ocean.  Those 
countries  which  border  on  the  ocean  are,  almost  without  an 
exception,  warmer  than  central  countries  in  the  same  lat- 
itude ;  and  those  which  are  little  raised  above  its  surface  are 
regularly  warmer  than  such  as  have  a  considerable  eleva- 
tion. Mr.  Volney,  however,  with  that  promptness  of  deci- 
sion for  which  he  has  long  been  remarkable,  found,  as  he  be- 
lieved, satisfactory  evidence  that  this  opinion  is  groundless 
in  the  climate  of  the  regions  bordering  on  the  Lakes  Erie 
and  Ontario,  This  climate  he  asserts  to  be  milder  than  that 
of  the  shore  in  the  same  latitude  where  it  is  scarcely  raised 
above  the  ocean.  Yet  the  tract  which  enjoys  this  mild  tem- 
perature is  elevated  and  distant  from  the  sea.  The  prem- 
ises here  assumed  are  undoubtedly  true,  but  the  conse- 
quence does  not  follow.  The  lakes  have  the  same  influence 
here  which  the  ocean  has  elsewhere.  The  elevation  above 
them  is  so  small,  and  the  distance  from  them  so  short,  that 
the  full  influence  of  both  advantages  is  completely  felt. 
Among  the  proofs  that  this  is  a  true  explanation  of  the  sub- 
ject, it  is  only  necessary  to  observe  that  the  southeastern 
parts  of  the  county  of  Genesee,  the  counties  of  Steuben, 
Tioga,  Delaware,  and  Greene,  are  sensibly  colder  than  those 
immediately  south  of  Lake  Ontario.  It  ought  perhaps  to  be 
observed  here,  that  countries  on  the  eastern  side  of  a  conti- 
nent are  regularly  colder  in  winter  and  hotter  in  summer  than 
those  on  the  western.  The  reason  is  obvious.  In  the  tem- 
perate zones,  at  least  in  the  northern,  the  prevailing  winds 
are  from  the  west.    Eastern  shores,  therefore,  have  their 


48 


SKETCHES   OF   IIOCHESTER,  ETC. 


winds  chiefly  from  the  land,  and  western  shores  enjoy  the 
softer  breezes  of  the  ocean.  As  the  winters  are  mild  in  the 
part  under  consideration,  so  are  the  summers.  It  is  not 
often  the  fact  that  people  here  are  willing  to  sleep  without  a 
blanket." 


TABLES  REFERRED  TO  IN  PAGE  41. 

At  the  suggestion  of  Professor  Dewey,  of  Rochester, 
some  interesting  observations  on  the  temperature  of  the 
waters  of  Ontario  were  made  by  Mr.  William  M'Auslan,  the 
intelligent  engineer  of  the  steamboat  Traveller,  during  the 
passages  of  that  vessel  between  the  City  of  Rochester  and 
the  Canadian  shores.  It  will  be  seen  that  they  furnish 
striking  illustrations  of  the  theory  here  maintained. 


44 
45 

46 
38 
46 
36 
44 
38 
45 
38 
45 
36 
46 
36 
47 
33 
46 
32 
47 


1837.     1 

May  15. 

May  22. 

May  29. 

June  19. 

Aug.  7. 

73 

Aug.  18. 

73 

Sept.  4. 

63 

Oct.  16.  r 
47 

,  <  Water 
MAir 

60 

68 

~58~ 

63 

63 

66 

64 

64 

73 

73 

65 

50 

5  Water 
2  5  Air 

45 

40 

58 

60 

70 

71 

63 

52 

63 

77 

57 

65 

72 

70 

64 

54 

.  i  Water 
^  JAir 

39 

39 

54 

58 

69 

69 

60 

64 

44 

44 

55 

54 

74 

78 

63 

54 

,  i  Water 
*^Air 

37i 

38 

51 

55 

68 

69 

58 

53 

52 

40 

54 

58 

72 

74 

63 

53 

^  S  Water 
^^Air 

371 

38 

40 

42 

64 

69 

67 

54 

48i 

41 

52 

55 

71 

71 

60 

56 

_  i  Water 

38 

38 

40 

40 

64 

68 

58 

54 

54 

39i 

54 

54 

72 

72 

59 

59 

^  i  Water 
^>Air 

39i 

38 

39 

40 

65 

68 

59 

53 

55 

40 

44 

50 

73 

69 

59 

59 

5  Water 

40 

39 

42 

66 

65 

62 

52 

54 

44 

55 

73 

65 

63 

67 

o  i  Water 
^  J  Air 

42 
56 

40 
45 

o 

50 
62 

66 
73 

63 
64 

64 
65 

52 
56 

rour 

44 

42 

S 

53 

66 

66 

64 

51 

55 

49 

o 

63 

73 

66 

65 

54 

"ir;r 

52 

51 

u 

56 

63 

64 

64 

52 

54 

54 

s 

64 

72 

78 

63 

54 

45 
40 


Winds. 


N.W.  S.&S.W. 


Mean  tempera- 
ture for  2  pre- 
ceding days 


59     |59.c 

57.2  158 


62.3 
69.6 


74.3  j74.0 
62.5*68.3 


55.3 

56.50 


46.0 
46.6 


38.6 
46.5 


CLIMATE,    SOIL,  AND   PRODUCTIONS.  49 

At  the  bottom  of  this  table  is  given  the  winds  for  the  day 
of  observation,  and  the  mean  temperature  of  that  day,  and 
the  mean  temperature  for  the  two  preceding  days  at  Ro- 
chester. 

The  first  observation  was  made  just  within  the  mouth  of 
the  Genesee,  on  leaving  Rochester  ;  the  second  observation 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  mouth  of  the  Genesee,  where  its 
waters  are  well  mingled  with  those  of  the  lake ;  the  nine 
succeeding  were  made  about  every  six  or  seven  miles,  the 
last  being  at  the  landing  at  Cobourg,  U.  C,  a  place  being  a 
little  west  of  north  from  Rochester,  and  about  sixty  miles 
distant.  They  were  made  upon  water  drawn  from  about 
one  foot  below  the  surface.  It  was  found,  however,  by  re- 
peated trials,  that  the  temperature  of  the  water  at  the  sur- 
face, or  at  two  or  three  feet  below  the  surface,  was  not  per- 
ceptibly different. 

The  gradual  change  of  the  temperature  of  the  lake  from 
the  shore  towards  the  middle,  from  spring  to  September, 
is  an  interesting  fact.  Mr.  M'Auslan,  who  possesses  con- 
siderable scientific  knowledge,  remarks,  too,  that  the  di- 
rection and  strength  of  wind  carries  the  coldest  portion 
nearer  towards  the  shore  in  the  direction  of  the  wind.  In 
August  and  September  the  temperature  of  the  water  was 
mostly  the  same  from  shore  to  shore.  In  October  the  water 
towards  the  shores  had  become  decidedly  cooler  than  to- 
wards the  middle  of  the  lake.  The  air  on  the  lake  is 
greatly  affected  by  the  temperature  of  the  water,  certainly 
when  the  water  is  much  the  cooler.  In  October  the  air  and 
water  became  of  nearly  equal  temperature,  while  the  differ- 
ence was  considerable  during  the  preceding  month.  Finally, 
it  is  probable,  says  Professor  Dewey,  that  the  current  of 
Niagara  river  is  pretty  direct  through  Lake  Ontario,  and 
that  the  accumulation  of  ice  on  Lake  Erie,  and  its  being 
heaped  up  and  continued  in  the  eastern  part  of  that  lake, 
often  as  late  as  May,  must  be  in  part  the  cause  of  the  low 
temperature  of  the  water  of  Lake  Ontario,  as  shown  in  the 
table  for  the  months  of  May  and  June. 

There  is  a  passage  in  Professor Griscom's  "Year  in  Eu- 
rope" which  may  be  quoted  as  somewhat  illustrative  of  the 
theory  respecting  the  influence  of  the  American  lakes  on 
the  temperature  of  a  portion  of  the  surrounding  country.  If 
the  influence  of  icebergs  is  perceptible  lo  such  an  extent  in 
the  air  and  water  of  the  ocean,  the  atmospheric  effects  as- 
6 


50  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

cribed  to  our  inland  seas  cannot  seem  exaggerated  in  the 
sight  of  reflecting  observers. 

"  The  storm  blew  over,  and  the  sails  were  again  set  be- 
fore sunrise,"  says  Professor  Griscom,  in  describing  his  voy- 
age across  the  Atlantic.  "This  being  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  and  the  weatlier  having  cleared  up  pleasantly,  it  was 
proposed  to  the  passengers  assembled  on  deck  that  one 
should  read  aloud  for  the  benefit  of  the  rest.  This  being 
readily  assented  to,  we  were  proceeding  to  read  a  recent 
sermon  of  Dr.  Chalmers,  when  a  man  at  the  masthead 
cried  out,  '  An  island  of  ice  on  the  lee  bow.'  From  the 
great  change  we  had  experienced  in  the  temperature  of  the 
air  and  water,  we  had  reason  to  expect  the  existence  of 
floating  ice  at  no  great  distance,  and  a  good  look-out  M^as 
maintained  for  it.  Mounted  on  the  windlass,  1  could  dis- 
tinctly see  this  island,  like  a  white  mass  in  the  horizon.  In 
a  short  time  we  approached  it  within  a  few  miles.  Its  ap- 
parent height  was  forty  or  fifty  feet,  and  its  base  on  the 
water  perhaps  three  hundred  feet  in  length.  It  resembled  a 
beautiful  hill  or  prominence  covered  with  snow.  Its  sides 
appeared  to  be  perpendicular,  so  that  the  imagination  could 
easily  transform  it  into  a  castle  of  white  marble,  with  its 
towers  and  turrets  on  the  summit.  It  appeared,  as  far  as 
we  could  judge  by  the  eyes,  to  be  immoveable  ;  but  it  was  no 
doubt  subject  to  the  agitation  of  the  waves.  The  breaking 
of  the  sea  against  it  produced  a  spray  which  rose  to  a  great 
height,  and  exhibited  a  splendid  appearance.  In  the  course 
of  a  few  hours  five  or  six  other  masses  appeared,  some  of 
which  we  approached  much  nearer  than  the  first.  There 
was  something  of  the  terrific  mixed  with  the  grand  in  the 
emotion  produced  by  the  sight  of  these  prodigious  piles  of 
moving  ice,  the  greater  portion  of  which  must  lie  beneath 
the  surface  and  be  out  of  sight.  Several  vessels  have  been 
destroyed  by  running  against  them  in  the  night.  As  the 
moon  shone  till  midnight,  and  the  wind  was  not  high,  the 
captain  thought  it  safe  to  keep  on  his  course  ;  but,  under 
different  circumstances,  he  would  have  taken  in  sail  and 
lain  to.  If  proper  attention  were  always  paid  by  navigators 
to  the  indications  of  the  thermometer,  it  is  probable  that  all 
danger  from  floating  ice,  at  least  in  the  passage  between 
Europe  and  America,  would  be  entirely  avoided.  The  dimi- 
nution of  temperature,  both  of  the  sea  and  air,  in  approach- 
ing those  large  masses,  affords  a  suflicient  warning  of  their 
proximity." 


CLIMATE,   SOIL,   AND    PRODUCTIONS. 


51 


Such  being  the  influence  of  icebergs  in  the  open  sea,  it 
may  be  readily  imagined  that  the  effects  of  the  great  lakes 
in  resisting  congelation  and  mollifying  the  summer  temper- 
ature must  be  very  sensibly  experienced  (as  a  comparison 
of  our  meteorological  tables  with  those  kept  in  different  lo- 
calities abundantly  shows)  in  places  situate  like  Rochester 
with  reference  to  those  fresh  water  seas. 


As  an  exemplification  of  the  influence  of  the  lakes  on  the 
temperature  of  the  lower  or  northern  parts  of  the  Genesee 
Valley,  we  may  refer  to  the  Meteorological  Tables  showing 
the  range  of  the  thermometer,  barometer,  &c.,  for  several 
years,  as  noted  by  Dr.  E.  S.  Marsh,  of  Rochester.  By  a 
comparison  with  the  average  temperature  in  other  places  in 
the  same  or  different  latitudes,  a  clearer  view  of  the  result, 
and,  consequently,  of  the  climate,  may  be  obtained. 

METEOROLOGICAL  TABLE, 
Kept  at  Rochester  for  seven  years,  commencing  January  1, 

1831. 
Synopsis  of  temperature,  weight  or  pressure  of  the  atmo- 
sphere, depth  of  rain  and  snow,  temperature  of  the  earth 
deduced  from  that  of  spring  water,  &;c.,  &c. 


TEMPERATURE    OF 

THE    AIR. 

"  Months. 

183111832 

1 

183318341835  1836  1837 

Ave.  tem.  of 
mo.  forVya. 

January 

23      26.4 

31.4|26 

30.1  27.6  24.1 

26.9 

February 

23.5  26 

26 

37.5 

22.4,21.7,28.5 

26.5 

March 

41.8  38.6 

35.4 

38 

35.5  29.7  34.4 

36.2 

April 

47.5  47.4 

52.5 

51 

448  44.8  41.8 

47.1 

May 

59.7 

57.2  62 

60.7 

59.8  58.5  55.7 

59 

June 

71.6 

70.3  62 

65.7 

65.9  66      65.8 

66.7 

July 

71.3 

74 

70.9 

76 

72      72      68.8 

72.1 

August 

71 

70.5 

68 

73.8 

68.765      67.9 

69.2 

September 

60.9 

62.8 

63.5 

65 

57.7  61.3  61 

61.7 

October 

51.5  52.6 

49.5 

51.7 

53.8  44.4  47.6 

50.1 

November 

38.9|41.5 

40.4 

40 

41.3  38.9' 42.6 

40.5 

December 

19.5  34.5 

34 

30.4 

28.5j  29.4 1  32.1 

29.7 

An.  Means 

48.4 

60.1 

49.6 

51.3 

47.5  46.6,47.5 

48.7 

The  mean  temperature  for  every  day  of  the  seven  years, 
deduced  from  the  above  table,  is  48.7,  and  may  fairly  be 
considered  the  true  temperature  of  this  locality. 


52 


SKETCHE      OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 


It  has  been  observed  that  the  medium  of  the  extremes  for 
the  year  is  a  near  approximation  to  the  mean  temperature  of 
the  place  of  observation.  The  extremes  for  the  past  seven 
years  have  been  registered,  and  the  subjoined  table  will 
show  with  how  much  truth  the  remark  may  be  applied  to 
this  place. 


Yean. 

Months, 

1831 

Feb. 

1832 

Jan. 

1833 

Jan. 

1834 

Jan. 

1835 

Feb. 

1836 

Feb. 

1837 

Feb. 

Day. 

Liwest  temperature. 

Monlhi. 

Day. 

Highest  temperature. 

Medi.  ofer. 

7 

4  below  0  June 

3 

95  above  0 

45.5 

27 

6  below  0  June 

25 

88  above  0 

41 

17 

4  above  0  July 

21 

91  above  0 

47.5 

4 

10  above  0  July 

9 

95  above  0 

52.6 

3 

3  below  0 

June 

11 

90  above  0 

48.5 

2 

5  below  0 

July 

19 

87  above  0 

41 

13 

2  above  0 

July 

13 

88  above  0 

45 

The  extremes  of  the  registers,  made  at  10  o'clock,  fur- 
nish a  medium  diflering  somewhat  from  the  above,  and  are 
as  follows  : 


Yean. 

Medi.  of  ex. 

1831 

Feb.  6,  A.  M.  2  above  0  June  12,  a.  m.  90  abv.  0 

46 

1832 

Jan.  26,  p.  M.  4  below  0  June  25,  a.  m.  88    do. 

42 

1833  Mar.  2,  p.  m.  2  above  0  July  24,  a.  m.  84    do. 

43 

1834  Jan.  4,  p.  m.  12  above  0  July  9,  a.  m.  86    do. 

49 

1835lFeb.  7,  p.  m.  4  above  0  July  19,  a.  m.  83    do. 

43.5 

1836:Feb.  1,  p.  M.  2  below  0  July  7,  a.  m.  82     do. 

40 

1837 

Jan.  2,  p.  M.  2  below  O.July  1,  a.  m.  80    do. 

39 

It  will  be  seen  from  these  tables  that  the  medium  of  the 
two  extremes  for  the  year  differs  widely  in  some  instances 
from  the  true  temperature,  and  in  every  year  is  too  much  at 
variance  with  the  actual  result  to  be  relied  upon. 

Our  registers  have  been  made  at  10  o'clock,  morning  and 
evening  ;  and  for  the  reason  that  these  will  in  all  cases  give 
a  mean  daily  range  approximating  nearer  in  the  aggregate  to 
observations  made  every  hour,  than  two  made  at  any  other 
points  of  time.  We  have  carefully  noted,  also,  sudden  and 
remarkable  fluctuations,  which  are  beginning  to  be  quite  too 
common  and  severe  to  pass  unnoticed,  the  results  of  which 
will  be  presented  on  another  occasion. 

Annexed  is  shown  the  temperature  of  the  seasons,  begin- 
ning with  the  spring  of  1831,  and  a  notice  of  early  and  late 
frosts  for  seven  years. 


CLIMATE,    SOIL,   AND   PRODUCTIONS. 


53 


yews. 

Spring  mo. 

1  summer  mo 

Fall  mo. 

Winter  mo. 

JUIe  Frost. 

Early  frost. 

1831 

49.6 

71.3 

50.4 

25.4 

May    10 

Sept.  30 

1832 

47.7 

71.2 

52.3 

23.9 

May    24 

Oct.     15 

1833 

49.9 

66.3 

51.2 

30.6 

April  26 

Sept.   10 

1834 

49.9 

71.7 

52.2 

29.1 

May    15 

Sept.  28 

1835 

46.7 

68.8 

50.9 

27.5 

May   21 

Sept.  29 

1836 

44.3 

67.6 

48.2 

25.9 

May    13 

Sept.  29 

1837 

43.9 

67.5 

53.7 

27.2 

May      3 

Aug.      4 

Average 
7  years 

47.4 

69.2 

51.2 

27 

The  frost  of  August,  1837,  was  not  general  in  this  section, 
and  vegetation  in  this  city  was  not  interrupted  until  Sep- 
tember 20,  on  which  night  it  was  more  severe. 

The  temperature  of  the  earth,  deduced  from  that  of  spring 
water,  it  has  been  clearly  demonstrated,  differs  but  slightly 
from  that  of  the  atmosphere.  It  will,  however,  be  observed, 
that  there  is  a  want  of  correspondence  in  periods  so  short  as 
that  of  a  month,  and  for  reasons  obvious  enough  ;  and  hence, 
for  a  shorter  time  than  one  year,  these  observations  can  be 
of  little  use.  There  is,  however,  a  popular  error,  that  well 
or  spring  water  (the  terms  are  used  synonymously)  is  warmer 
in  winter  than  in  the  summer,  which  a  reference  to  the  fol- 
lowing table  of  registers,  made  accurately  once  a  month, 
will  correct. 


Month. 

1831 

1832 

1833 

1834 

1835 

1836 

1837 

Average. 

January 

37 

39 

35 

39 

43 

48 

38 

38.4 

February 

36 

37 

37 

39 

40 

46 

41 

38 

March 

38 

38 

36 

42 

40 

46 

39 

39.8 

April 

42 

41 

41 

45 

40 

46 

41 

42.3 

May 

48 

48 

50 

45 

44 

45 

44 

46.2 

June 

52 

50 

52 

49 

51 

50 

49 

50.4 

July 

58 

54 

54 

55 

56 

54 

54 

55 

August 

60 

56 

56 

59 

54 

54 

59 

56.8 

September 

57 

56 

55 

59 

55 

58 

59 

57 

October 

54 

53 

55 

53 

56 

54 

54 

54.1 

November 

48 

49 

50 

46 

52 

48 

49 

48.8 

December 

40 

44 

42 

41 

50 

42 

44 

43.2 

Mean  for  a  year 

47.5 

47 

46.9 

47.5 

48.4 

49.9 

42.5 

47.3 

mforayear  47.0  47  46.9  47.5  48.4  49.9  42.5  47.3 
Mean  temperature  for  7  years,  deduced  as  above,  47.3. 
Mean  temperature  for     do.     by  first  table,  48.7. 

.5*, 


54 


SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 


The  temperature  of  all  large  towns  is  higher  than  the 
country  about  them,  or  even  their  immediate  vicinity  ;  owing 
in  summer  to  the  reflection  of  the  sun's  rays  from  many  non- 
absorbing  surfaces,  and  in  winter  to  the  existence  in  a  small 
area  of  many  fires.  Hence  the  discrepance  in  the  result  of 
the  observations  made  in  the  air  and  in  spring  water. 


BAROxMETRICAL  TABLE, 

Giving  the  mean   monthhj  range  of  the  Mercury  for  seven 
years. 


Month. 

1831. 1 

January 

29.45 

February 

29.70 

March 

29.39 

April 

29.38 

May 

29.42 

June 

29.53 

July 

29.49 

August 

29.61 

Sept. 

29.50 

October 

29.54 

Nov. 

29.441 

Dec. 

29.49 

Annual  Mem 

29.49 

834.!  1835.I183G.:  1837.1  fr„X 


.60  29.43  29.53 
.63  29.48  29.58 
.60  29.65  29.53 
.62  29.44  29.48 
.56  29.49  29.49 
.56  29.43  29.47 
.54  29.48  29.50 
.43  29.54  29.53 
.61  29.67  29.57 
.55  29.69  29.56 
.51  29.59  29.50 
.60  29.57  29.55 


29.49  29.52129.49,29.52,29.52  29.56,29.64'29.52 


Thus  the  average  weight  of  the  atmosphere  in  Rochester 
for  the  past  seven  years  has  beeg  29.52  inches  for  every  day 
of  that  time.  The  fluctuations  observed  during  the  entire 
period  have  been  less  than  2  inches,  to  wit : 

March  9,  1831,  lowest  range,  28.40 

Jan.  13,  1834,  highest      do.    30.20— differ.  1.80  inch. 


RAIN    AND    SNOW. 


The  following  tables  exhibit  the  depth  of  rain  in  inches 
for  every  month  of  the  past  seven  years  ;  and  also  that  of 
snow,  measured  in  every  case  as  soon  as  it  ceased  falling. 


CLIMATE,    SOIL,  AND    PRODUCTIONS. 


55 


Months. 

1831  1832] 

1833 

1834 

1835 

1836 

1837 

Average  for 
months. 

January 

.3 

.9 

1.4 

.3 

1.3 

.0 

.67 

February 

.5 

.4 

.5 

.8 



.5 

.38 

March 

1.3 

.8 

.1 

1.5 

.5 

.5 

3 

.78 

April 

3.8 

1.5 

1.8 

2.2 

2.6 

3.6 

.5 

1.85 

May 

2.8 

4.3 

6.1 

.3 

1 

5.5 

3.5 

3.35 

June 

3.4 

1.2 

2.6 

1.9 

4.5 

3.6 

3.5 

2.95 

July 

5.4 

4 

3.8 

1.8 

1.8 

2 

2 

2.97 

August 

1.2 

2 

2 

1.8 

3.5 

1.8 

3.5 

2.25 

September 

2.4 

1.7 

1.5 

2.1 

2.5 

2.8 

2.3 

2.18 

October 

4.2 

2.3 

2 

3.4 

5.4 

3 

4.4 

3.42 

November 

1.6 

2.8 

1 

1.8 

1.5 

2.8 

3 

2 

December 

2.4 

1 

.5 

.5 

1.5 

2.5 

1.12 

Amount 

24.4 

24.3 

22.6 

18.1 

25.9 

27.1 

29.2 

24.5 

Average  depth  of  rain  in  one  year,  24.5  inches. 


Months. 

1831 

1832 

1833 

1834 

1835 

1836 

1837 

Average  for 
months. 

January 

February 

March 

15 

33 

5 

15 

29 

9 

11 
35 

7 

13 

9 

8 

7 
19 
16 

29 
16 
11 

16 

28 
3 

14.1 
24.1 

8.4 

April 
May 

September 
November 

2 
6 

3 

6 

1 

8 

2 
4 

2 

9 

7 

2 

1 
6 

8 

2.2 
1.4 

5.7 

December 

13 

13 

13 

14 

10 

9 

7 

11.2 

Amount 

77 

72 

75 

62 

68 

73 

02 

68.4 

Average  depth  of  snow  for  one  year,  68.4  inches. 
The  amount  of  water  contained  in  snow  can  only  be  as- 
certained by  melting  it,  and  must  continually  be  varied  by 
the  temperature  when  it  is  falling.  We  will,  however,  sup- 
pose one  foot  of  snow  to  contain  .75  inches  water  ;  this, 
added  to  24.4  inches,  the  actual  amount  of  rain  in  one  year, 
presents  the  following  result : 

From  68.4  inches  snow,  4.27  inches  water.  . 

Add  annual  depth  rain,  24.4=28.67  inches. 


56  SKETCHES   OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

The  amount  of  rain  for  the  different  seasons  can  easily  be 
deduced  from  the  above  table.  We  will  only  add,  that  for 
the  three  months  of  October,  November,  and  December, 
1837,  the  amount  is  9.9  inches,  which  is  2.5  more  than  fell 
during  the  same  period  in  any  of  the  seven  previous  years, 
and  more  than  one  third  above  the  average  of  the  six  pre- 
ceding. 

When  it  is  observed  that  the  temperature  of  Utica  is  oc- 
casionally 20^  below  0,  and  of  Albany  from  20°  to  40°  be- 
low (as  in  January,  1835,  when  it  was  said  that  mercury 
was  frozen  in  the  air  in  some  parts  of  the  city),  and  the 
temperature  of  Rochester  for  the  corresponding  lime  is  20° 
to  30°  warmer,  as  was  verified  by  observations  accurately 
made,  the  conclusion  is  irresistible  that  the  lake  operates  as 
an  immense  heater  upon  the  air  in  winter,  and  that  our  im- 
munity from  such  extremes  depends  in  a  great  degree  upon 
its  immediate  contiguity. 


ATMOSPHERIC  PHENOMENA. 

In  connexion  with  the  remarks  in  the  foregoing  article 
upon  the  effects  produced  by  our  inland  seas  upon  the 
temperature  of  portions  of  the  surrounding  regions,  there 
may  be  appropriately  introduced  here  some  notices  of  At- 
mospheric Phenomena  resulting  from  the  reflection  of  the 
sunlight  from  those  waters.  On  the  latter  subject  there  is, 
in  a  late  number  of  the  American  Journal  of  Science  and  the 
Arts,  an  essay  by  Willis  Gaylord,  marked  by  the  usual 
characteristics  of  that  sagacious  observer  and  excellent 
writer,  for  whose  assistance  in  the  preparation  of  the  fore- 
going statements  respecting  the  "  climate,  soil,  and  produc- 
tions," acknowledgments  are  rendered  with  pleasure.  Mr. 
Gaylord  is  a  resident  of  Otisco,  Onondaga  county,  and  is  the 
principal  contributor  to  the  columns  of  the  "  Genesee 
Farmer,"  as  well  as  a  correspondent  of  various  publica- 
tions, including  Silliman's  "  Journal,"  from  which  the  an- 
nexed extract  is  taken.  In  discussing  the  "  Influence  of  the 
great  lakes  on  our  autumnal  sunsets,"  Mr.  Gaylord  ob- 
serves— 


CLIMATE,    SOIL,    AND    PRODUCTIONS.  57 

"  Foreign  tourists  speak  with  rapture  of  the  beautiful  dies 
imprinted  by  autumn  on  the  foliage  of  our  American  forests  : 
our  leaves  do  not  fade  and  fall,  all  of  the  same  decaying 
russet  hue,  but  the  rich  golden  yellow  of  the  linden,  the  bright 
red  of  the  soft  maple,  the  deep  crimson  of  the  sugar  maple, 
the  pale  yellow  of  the  elm,  the  brown  of  the  beach,  and  the 
dark  green  of  the  towering  evergreens,  are  all  blended  into 
one  splendid  picture  of  a  thousand  light  shades  and  shadows. 
To  the  observer,  our  autumnal  woodlands  are  gigantic 
parterres,  the  flowers  and  colours  arranged  in  the  happiest 
manner  for  softened  beauty  and  delightful  eff'ect.  And  when 
these  myriads  of  tinted  leaves  have  fallen  to  the  earth  ;  when 
the  squirrel  barks  from  the  leafless  branches,  or  rustles  among 
them  for  the  ripened  but  still  clinging  brown  nuts,  the  rural 
wanderer  is  tempted  to  throw  himself  on  the  beds  of  leaves 
accumulated  by  the  wind,  and,  while  he  looks  through  the 
smoke-tinted  atmosphere,  half  imagines  that  he  is  gazing  on 
an  ocean  of  flowers. 

"  But  the  claims  of  our  American  autumn  upon  our  admi- 
ration are  very  far  from  depending  entirely  on  the  rainbow- 
coloured  foliage  of  our  woodlands,  unrivalled  in  beauty 
though  they  certainly  are  ;  to  these  must  be  added  the  splen- 
dours of  an  autumn  sunset,  the  richness  of  which,  as  we  are 
assured,  has  no  parallel  in  the  much-lauded  sunsets  of  the 
rose-coloured  Italian  skies.  In  no  part  of  the  United  States 
is  this  rich  garniture  of  the  heavens  displayed  in  so  striking 
a  manner  as  in  the  valley  of  the  great  lakes,  and  the  country 
immediately  east  or  southeast  of  them,  and  this  for  reasons 
which  will  shortly  be  assigned.  The  most  beautiful  of  these 
celestial  phenomena  begin  to  appear  about  the  first  of  Sep- 
tember, sometimes  rather  earlier,  and,  with  some  exceptions, 
last  through  the  months  of  September  and  October,  unless 
interrupted  by  the  atmospheric  changes  consequent  on  our 
equinoctial  storms,  and  gradually  fade  away  in  November 
with  the  Indian  summer  and  the  southern  declination  of  the 
sun.  Not  every  cloudless  sunset  during  this  time,  even  in 
the  most  favoured  sections,  is  graced  with  these  splendours  ; 
there  seems  to  be  a  peculiar  state  of  the  atmosphere  neces- 
sary to  exhibit  these  beautiful  reflections,  which,  however 
often  witnessed,  must  excite  the  admiration  of  all  who  view 
them,  and  are  prepared  to  appreciate  their  surprising  rich- 
ness. 

"  On  the  most  favoured  evenings  the  sky  will  be  without 


68  SKETCHES    OF    ROCIIE8TEK,    ETC. 

a  cloud  ;  the  temperature  of  the  air  pleasant ;  not  a  breeze  to 
rulile  a  feather,  and  a  dim  transparent  haze,  tinged  of  a  slight 
carmine  by  the  sun's  light,  diffused  through  the  whole  atmo- 
sphere. At  such  a  time,  for  some  minutes  both  before  and 
after  the  sun  goes  below  the  horizon,  the  rich  hues  of  gold, 
and  crimson,  and  scarlet  that  seem  to  float  upward  from  the 
horizon  to  the  zenith  are  beyond  the  power  of  language  to 
describe.  As  the  sun  continues  to  sink,  the  streams  of 
brilliance  gradually  blend  and  deepen  in  one  mass  of  golden 
light,  and  the  splendid  reflections  remain  long  after  the  light 
of  an  ordinary  sunset  would  have  disappeared.  We  have 
said  that  not  every  cloudless  sunset  exhibits  this  peculiar 
brilliance :  when  the  air  is  very  clear,  the  sun  goes  down  in 
a  yellow  light,  it  is  true,  but  it  is  comparatively  pale  and 
limited  ;  and  when,  as  is  sometimes  the  case  in  our  Indian 
summers,  the  atmosphere  is  filled  with  the  smoky  vapour 
rising  from  a  thousand  burning  prairies  in  the  Far  West,  he 
sinks  like  an  immense  red  ball  without  a  single  splendid 
emanating  ray.  It  is  our  opinion  that  the  peculiar  state  of 
the  atmosphere  necessary  to  produce  these  gorgeous  sunsets 
in  perfection  is  in  some  way  depending  on  electrical  causes  ; 
since  it  very  commonly  happens,  that  after  the  brilliant  re- 
flections of  the  setting  sun  have  disappeared,  the  auroral 
lights  make  their  appearance  in  the  north;  and  usually,  the 
more  vivid  the  reflection,  the  more  beautiful  and  distinct  the 
aurora.  This  fact  the  numerous  and  splendid  northern  lights 
of  last  September,  succeeding  sunsets  of  unrivalled  beauty, 
must  have  rendered  apparent  to  every  observer  of  these  at- 
mospheric changes.  Connected,  however,  with  this  state  of 
the  atmosphere,  and  co-operating  with  it,  is  another  cause 
we  think  not  less  peculiar  and  efficient,  and  which  we  do  not 
remember  ever  to  have  seen  noticed  in  this  connexion,  and 
that  is  the  influence  of  the  great  lakes  acting  as  reflecting 
surfaces. 

•'  Every  one  is  acquainted  with  the  fact  that,  when  rays  of 
light  impinge  or  fall  on  a  reflecting  surface,  as  a  common 
mirror,  they  slide  off",  so  to  speak,  in  a  corresponding  angle 
of  elevation  or  depression,  whatever  it  may  be.  The  great 
American  lakes  may  in  this  respect  be  considered  as  vast 
mirrors,  spread  horizontally  upon  the  earth,  and  reflecting 
the  rays  of  the  sun  that  fall  upon  them,  according  to  the 
optical  laws  that  govern  this  phenomenon.  The  higher  the 
sun  is  above  the  horizon,  the  less  distance  the  reflected  rays 


♦<4 


m^ 


CLIMATE,   SOIL,    AND   PRODUCTIONS.  59 

would  have  to  pass  through  the  atmosphere,  and,  of  course, 
the  less  would  be  the  effect  produced  by  them  ;  while  at  and 
near  the  time  of  setting,  the  rays  striking  horizontally  on  the 
water,  the  direction  of  the  reflected  rays  must  of  course  be  so 
also,  and  therefore  pass  over  or  through  the  greatest  possible 
amount  of  atmosphere  previous  to  their  final  dispersion.  It 
follows  that  objects  on  the  earth's  surface,  if  near  the  re- 
flecting body,  require  but  little  elevation  to  impress  their 
irregularities  on  the  reflecting  light ;  and  hence  any  con- 
siderable eminences  on  the  eastern  shores  of  the  great  lakes 
would  produce  the  effect  of  lessening  or  totally  intercepting 
these  rays  at  the  moment  the  sun  was  in  a  position  nearly 
or  quite  horizontal.  The  reflecting  power  of  a  surface  of 
earth,  though  far  from  inconsiderable,  is  much  less  than  that 
of  water,  and  may,  in  part,  account  not  only  for  the  breaks  in 
the  line  of  radiance  which  exist  in  the  west,  but  for  the  fact 
that  the  autumnal  sunsets  of  the  south  are  inferior  in  bril- 
liance to  those  of  the  north.  We  have  been  led  to  this  train 
of  thought  at  this  time  by  a  succession  of  most  beautiful 
sunsets,  which,  commencing  the  last  week  in  August,  have 
continued  through  the  months  of  September  and  October, 
with  a  few  exceptions,  in  consequence  of  the  atmospheric 
derangenrcnt  attending  the  usual  equinoctial  gales. 

"  It  will  be  seen,  by  a  reference  to  a  map  of  the  United 
States,  that  from  the  residence  of  the  writer  (Otisco,  Onon- 
daga Co.,  N.  Y.),  the  lakes  extend  on  a  great  circle  from 
north  to  south  of  west,  and,  of  course,  embrace  nearly  the 
whole  extent  of  the  sun's  declination  as  observed  from  this 
place.  The  atmosphere  of  the  north,  then,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  months,  is  open  to  the  influence  of  reflected 
light  from  the  lakes,  and  we  are  convinced  that  most  of  the 
resplendent  richness  of  our  autumnal  sunsets  may  be  traced 
to  this  source.  The  successive  flashes  of  golden  and  scarlet 
light,  that  seem  to  rise,  and  blend,  and  deepen  in  the  west  as 
the  sun  approaches  the  horizon  and  sinks  below  it,  can  in  no 
other  way  be  so  satisfactorily  accounted  for  as  by  the  sup- 
position that  each  lake,  one  after  the  other,  lends  its  reflected 
light  to  the  visible  portion  of  the  atmosphere,  and  thus,  as 
one  fades,  another  flings  its  mass  of  radiance  across  the 
heavens,  and,  acting  on  a  medium  prepared  for  its  reception, 
prolongs  the  splendid  phenomena, 

"  We  have  for  years  noticed  these  appearances,  and 
marked  the  fact  that,  in  the  early  part  of  September,  the 


60 


SKETCHES   OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 


sunsets  are  generally  of  unusual  brilliancy,  and  more  pro- 
longed than  at  other  or  later  periods.  They  are  at  this 
season,  as  they  are  at  all  others,  accompanied  by  pencils  or 
streamers  of  the  richest  light,  which,  diverging  from  the 
position  of  the  sun,  appear  above  the  horizon,  and  are  some- 
times so  well  defined  that  they  can  be  distinctly  traced  nearly 
to  the  zenith.  At  other  seasons  of  the  year,  clouds  just  be- 
low the  horizon  at  sunset  produce  a  somewhat  similar  result 
in  the  formation  of  brushes  of  light ;  and  elevated  ranges  of 
mountains,  by  intercepting  and  dividing  the  rays,  whether 
direct  or  reflected,  effect  the  same  appearances  ;  but  in  this 
case  there  are  no  elevated  mountains,  and  on  the  most 
splendid  of  these  evenings  the  ?ky  is  always  perfectly  cloud- 
less. We  have  marked  the  uniformity  in  the  relative  posi- 
tion of  these  pencils  at  the  same  season  of  the  year  for  a 
great  number  of  years  ;  and  this  uniformity,  while  it  proves 
the  permanence  of  their  cause,  has  led  us  to  trace  their  origin 
to  the  peculiar  configuration  of  the  country  bordering  on  the 
great  lakes. 

"  At  the  time  of  year  these  pencils  are  beginning  to  be  the 
most  distinct,  a  line  drawn  from  this  point  to  the  sun  would 
bear  at  sunset  about  twenty-five  degrees  north  of  west, 
passing  over  the  west  end  of  Lake  Ontario,  the  greatest 
diameter  of  liake  Huron,  and  across  a  considerable  portion 
of  Lake  Superior.  At  this  time,  or  about  the  first  of  Sep- 
tember, the  streamers  or  pencils  exhibit  somewhat  the  ap- 
pearance shown  in  the  following  engraving  : 


"Here  A  represents  the  place  of  the  sun,  some  two  or 
three  degrees  below  the  horizon  B  B.     Fig.  1  denotes  the 


CLIMATE,    SOIL,   AND    PRODUCTIONS. 


6f 


reflections  from  Lake  Erie.  2,  the  comparatively  dark  space 
caused  by  the  peninsula  between  Lake  Erie  and  Lake  St. 
Clair.  3  represents  the  reflected  rays  from  St.  Clair.  4, 
the  non-reflecting  peninsula  between  the  St.  Clair  and  Lake 
Huron  ;  and  5  to  13,  the  reflection  from  Lake  Huron,  broken 
into  pencils  by  the  elevated  lands  on  the  southeastern  margin 
of  the  lake. 

"  From  considerations  connected  with  the  figure  of  the 
earth,  the  relative  position  of  the  sun  and  the  lakes,  the  nature 
of  reflecting  surfaces,  and  the  hills  that  it  has  been  ascer- 
tained border  Lake  Huron  on  the  east,  it  appears  clear  to  us, 
that  the  broken  line  of  these  hills  acts  the  part  of  clouds  or 
mountains  in  other  circumstances,  in  intercepting  and  divi- 
ding into  pencils  the  broad  mass  of  light  reflected  from  the 
Huron,  and  thus  creating  those  beautiful  streamers  that  ap- 
pear in  the  north  of  west,  and  with  which,  as  it  were,  the 
commencement  of  autumn  and  the  Indian  summer  is  marked. 
Farther  to  the  south  appears  distinctly  the  break  occasioned 
by  the  land  that  intervenes  between  the  Lakes  Huron  and 
St.  Clair,  and  this,  as  well  as  the  one  between  the  latter  lake 
and  Erie,  is  rendered  more  striking  by  the  brilliant  pencil 
streaming  across  the  heavens  from  the  St.  Clair.  The  re- 
flected light  of  this  body  of  water,  insulated  as  it  is  by  the 
shaded  spaces  in  the  sky,  and  separated  from  the  glowing 
masses  to  the  north  and  the  south,  is,  throughout  the  season, 
one  of  the  most  striking  and  best  defined  objects  in  the  west. 

"  From  the  middle  of  September  to  the  early  part  of  Oc- 
tober, during  which  time  the  sun  sets  nearly  in  the  west  from 
this  place,  the  appearance  of  the  reflected  rays  is  somewhat 
like  the  representation  below. 


62 


SKETCHES    OF  ROCHESTER,   ETC. 


"  Here  the  letters  and  figures  represent  the  sanne  objects 
as  in  the  former  cut,  and  show  that  the  cause  of  the  pencils 
must  be  permanent,  or  such  a  change  in  their  inclination 
v^ould  not  take  place  with  the  declination  of  the  sun.  The 
reflections  from  Erie  at  this  time  rise  in  a  broad  unbroken 
mass  a  little  south  of  west,  while  that  from  St.  Clair  occu- 
pies the  centre,  and  the  maze  of  pencils  from  Huron  begin 
to  blend  and  show  nearly  as  one  body.  As  the  sun  returns 
still  farther  south,  the  light  from  Erie  occupies  a  still  more 
prominent  place  ;  the  column  of  light  from  the  St.  Clair  in- 
clines still  more  to  the  right ;  the  breaks  from  the  isthmuses 
of  Erie  and  Huron  become  less  distinct;  the  reflections  from 
the  Huron  are  melted  into  an  unbroken  mass,  the  interrup- 
tion from  the  hills  being  lost  in  the  oblique  position  of  the 
pencils  ;  and  the  sun  has  scarcely  time  to  leave  this  exten- 
sive line  of  reflection,  before  all  these  streamers  and  breaks 
are  abruptly  melted  into  the  rich  dark  crimson  that  floats  up 
from  the  Michigan  or  the  mighty  Superior.  At  the  close  of 
October  or  the  first  of  November,  the  splendour  of  the  heav- 
ens, though  sensibly  diminished,  is  at  times  very  great,  and 
the  outline  of  the  reflections  presents  the  following  appear- 
ance. 


"  The  figures  and  letters  are  still  the  same  ;  and,  taken  in 
connexion  with  the  southern  declination  of  the  sun,  shows,  as 
before,  the  fixed  nature  of  the  causes,  and  their  relative  po- 
sition to  the  observer.  Lake  Erie  now  fills  up  the  foreground 
in  the  direction  of  the  sun  ;  St.  Clair  is  still  distinct,  and 
separated  from  Erie  and  Huron  ;  the  hills  which  in  early 
autumn  were  between  us  and  the  sun,  and  broke  up  the  light 
thrown  from  the  Huron  into  such  beautiful  pencils,  are  now 


CLIMATE,    SOIL,    AND    PRODUCTIONS.  63 

to  the  northward  of  any  light  reflected  to  us,  if,  indeed,  they 
are  not  beyond  the  line  of  rays  from  the  lake  ;  and  the 
streamers  from  this  source  disappear  from  the  heavens,  not 
to  return  until,  with  another  year  and  a  renewed  atmosphere, 
the  sun  is  again  found  in  the  same  position.  Were  there  any 
elevated  ranges  on  the  peninsula  of  Michigan,  we  might 
reasonably  expect  that  the  reflected  light  from  that  body  of 
water  would  be  broken,  as  is  the  case  from  Lake  Huron. 
But  Michigan  is  too  level  to  offer  in  its  outline  any  such  in- 
terruption ;  hence  the  pencils  must  fade  away  with  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  sun  from  the  line  of  the  Huron,  St.  Clair, 
and  Erie.  It  is  possible,  too,  that,  as  the  season  advances,  the 
atmosphere  loses  its  proper  reflecting  condition,  and  renders 
it  impossible  for  reflected  light  to  produce  the  effects  of  Sep- 
tember or  October.  The  electric  change  denoted  by  the  fact 
that,  in  the  region  of  the  lakes,  thunder  rarely  occurs  after 
these  phenomena  become  visible,  and  that  these  are  usually 
accompanied  or  followed  by  the  aurora,  would  seem  to 
render  such  a  supposition  probable. 

"  We  have  thrown  out  these  hints,  for  we  consider  them 
nothing  more,  in  the  hope  of  directing  the  notice  of  other  and 
more  competent  observers  to  the  facts  stated,  and,  if  possible, 
thereby  gaining  a  satisfactory  solution  of  the  splendid  phe- 
nomena connected  with  our  autumnal  sunsets  (should  the 
foregoing  not  be  considered  as  such),  or  should  further  ob- 
servations show  that  any  of  the  above  premises  or  inferences 
have  been  founded  in  error.'* 


"With  the  facts  before  us  respecting  the  climate  as  well 
as  productions  of  Western  New- York,  we  may  not  wonder 
at  that  enthusiastic  admiration  which  led  Gouverneur  Morris 
to  exclaim,  in  a  letter  to  a  British  friend  who  urged  him  to 
reside  in  Britain  : 

"  Compare  the  uninterrupted  warmth  and  splendour  of 
America,  from  the  first  of  May  to  the  last  of  September, 
and  her  autumn,  truly  celestial,  with  your  shivering  June, 
July,  and  August  ;  sometimes  warm,  but  often  wet ;  your 
uncertain  September,  your  gloomy  October,  and  damnable 
November.  Compare  these  things,  and  then  say  how  a  man 
who  prizes  the  charms  of  nature  can  think  of  making  the 
exchange.  If  you  were  to  pass  one  autumn  with  us,  you 
would  not  give  it  for  the  best  six  months  to  be  found  in  any 
other  country,  unless,  indeed,  you  should  get  tired  of  fine  ^ 
weather." 


.tfr.'.rl'.'rUL. 


GEOLOGY  OF  ROCHESTER  AND  ITS 
VICINITY. 


Few  tracts  of  equal  size  present  more  interesting  subjects 
of  geological  research  than  are  contained  within  the  City  of 
Rochester. 

The  boulders,  the  diluvium,  the  petrifactions,  would  alone 
furnish  themes  for  exciting  research,  coupled  with  the  vari- 
ous remnants  of  tlie  mastodon  which  were  lately  upturned 
from  the  spot  where  they  were  probably  deposited  by  the 
deluge  that  swept  across  this  land.  The  cataracts  of  the 
Genesee,  eclipsed  only  by  the  mightier  flow  of  the  Niagara — 
the  Ridge-Road,*  with  geological  features  that  furnished  De 
"Witt  Clinton  some  data  illustrative  of  the  antiquities  of  human 
art — present  attractions  for  the  most  superficial  observer 
The  appearances  corroborative  of  the  prolific  theory  concern, 
ing  the  ancient  heiglii  of  Lake  Ontario,  the  excellent  view  of 
the  structure  of  the  earth  through  the  depth  of  the  ravine  form- 
ed by  the  Genesee  river  ;  and  the  extraordinary  polished 
EOCKs,  with  surface  silently  demonstrating  that  their  lustre 
resulted  from  the  action  of  overwhelming  floods  across  this 
region  in  long-gone  ages — are  amply  sufficient  to  excite  the 
enthusiasm  of  those  whose  minds  have  expanded  in  contem- 
plating the  deep-reaching  theories  by  which  geology  warns 
us  to  mark  the  changes  which  this  world  has  undergone 
since  issuing  from  the  hand  of  the  Almighty  Architect. 

Imperfect  indeed  would  be  the  account  of  Rochester 
which  should  fail  to  present  the  prominent  features  of  its 
geological  character.  The  connexion  of  the  city  with  lake, 
river,  ridge,  and  quarry,  attaches  vast  interest  to  facts  de- 
monstrative of  the  past  condition  as  well  as  present  state  of 
the  waters,  the  diluvium,  and  the  minerals  by  which  we  are 
surrounded-  Therefore  is  it  that,  in  these  brief  sketches, 
efforts  are  made  to  acquaint  the  stranger  with  information  on 
those  subjects,  touching  which  the  intelligent  citizen  of  Ro- 
chester must  be  supposed  to  have  some  knowledge. 

*  See  articles  headed  "  Ridge-Road." 


GEOLOGICAL    SKETCHES.  6& 

The  Rev.  Chester  Dewey,  whose  reputation  as  a  geolo- 
gist requires  no  endorsement  here,  promptly  complied  with 
our  suggestions  in  preparing  some  statements  imbodying 
much  information  that  may  be  interesting  even  to  those  most 
conversant  with  the  important  subjects  of  his  remarks. 
His  brief  outline  of  the  Geology  of  Rochester  should  be 
passed  unheeded  by  no  one  who  is  desirous  of  familiarizing 
himself  with  the  prominent  features  of  the  city. 

We  may  be  pardoned  for  introducing  here  a  passage  from 
an  essayist  whose  conceptions  of  the  science  of  geology, 
beautifully  expressed,  are  measurably  exemplified  by  the 
earth  and  waters  in  and  around  our  city.  Let  those  who 
underrate  the  use,  and  dignity,  and  interesting  character  of 
geological  research,  mark  well  the  assertions  of  this  extract, 
and  notice  the  exemplifications  of  their  truth  afforded  even  by 
the  limited  inquiries  connected  with  the  geology  of  Rochester. 

"  It  seems  to  be  a  very  common  opinion,"  says  an  essay- 
ist in  the  American  Quarterly  Review,  "that  the  study  of 
geology  is  dull,  dry,  and  unattractive  to  all  but  the  initiated 
inquirer,  who  has  contrived  to  get  enthusiastic  in  a  kind  of 
knowledge  which,  to  the  generality  of  men,  presents  a  lower- 
ing and  repulsive  aspect."  *  *  *  *  "  We  hear  constantly 
of  the  sublime  discoveries  made  by  astronomy ;  of  the  glo- 
rious mechanism  which  the  anatomist  with  palpable  distinct- 
ness places  before  our  eyes  ;  and  of  the  charms  of  that 
pleasing  science  which  unrobes  to  our  sight  the  internal 
economy  and  rich  garniture  of  the  vegetable  world.  The 
former  is  concerned  with  other  worlds  and  the  laws  which 
bind  them  together,  the  latter  with  the  countless  forms  of 
being  which  enliven  the  surface  of  our  own  ;  while  geology, 
without  yielding  to  these  in  the  high  and  noble  character  of 
its  inquiries,  shows  us  the  worlds  which  have  been,  and 
traces  the  terrible  revolutions  of  kature  which  from 
time  to  time  have  '  rolled  them  together  as  a  scroll,'  leaving 
behind  a  few  dumb  but  eloquent  memorials  to  convey  to 
coming  ages  the  story  of  their  existence.  Like  the  ghosts  of 
the  guilty  dead  which  passed  before  the  eyes  of  Dante  in 
the  infernal  regions,  the  shadowy  forms,  not  of  men,  but  of 
ages,  pass  and  repass  in  measured  procession  before  the 
steady  gaze  of  the  geologist,  while  he  marks  their  character 
and  reads  their  history.  Geology  carries  us  back  to  the 
very  rudiments  of  our  earthly  habitation,  while  its  scat- 
tered materials  are  yet  destitute  of  form  or  consistence,  and 
6* 


66  SKETCHES    OF   ROCIIESTERj  ETC. 

thence  traces  it  upward  through  its  successive  approaches  to 
order  and  beauty."  *  *  *  "  Such  are  the  scenes  contin- 
ually presented  to  the  view  of  the  geological  inquirer;  and 
■we  can  hardly  conceive  that  they  should  lose  any  of  their 
interest  with  those  whose  minds  are  open  to  the  majesty  and 
wonder  of  Nature's  works." 


GEOLOGY    OF    KOCJIESTER,  ETC. 

The  rocks  of  this  vicinity  form  a  part  of  that  extended 
series  which  stretches  from  the  primitive  at  Little  Falls  on 
the  Mohawk  to  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie.  This  wliole  series 
across  the  state  belongs  to  the  transition  class.  Here  the 
cataracts  of  the  Genesee  have  exposed  the  rocks  for  some 
hundred  feet  in  depth.  A  finer  view  of  the  structure  of  the 
earth  to  this  depth  cannot  be  desired. 

The  strata  are  laid  over  each  other  with  great  care,  as  if 
the  supraposition  of  them  had  been  a  matter  of  the  special 
attention  of  the  Great  Architect. 

The  varieties  of  the  rocks  and  minerals  are  not  very  great, 
but  they  are  very  interesting. 

At  the  Ontario  steamboat-landing  (below  the  Lower 
Falls),  the  waters  of  the  Genesee  are  on  a  level  with  Lake 
Ontario.  The  river  is  at  that  point  330  feet  below  Lake 
Erie,  266  feet  below  the  Erie  Canal  in  Rochester,  and  240 
feet  above  the  tidewater  of  the  Hudson.  The  rocks  may  be 
classed  under  the  following  heads  : — 

1.  Red  Sandstone. — At  the  level  of  the  Genesee  at  the 
Ontario  steamboat-landing  lies  a  stratum  of  sandstone, 
whose  depth  below  the  water  is  unknown,  and  whose  extent 
upward  is  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  'i'his  is  the  salif- 
erous  rock  of  Professor  Eaton,  because  he  believed  it  was 
the  reservoir  of  the  salt-springs  in  this  section.  A  few  years 
ago  salt  was  manufactured  from  the  waters  of  a  spring  in 
Greece,  a  few  miles  northwest  from  the  city,  and  from 
another  near  the  banks  of  Irondequoit  Creek,  a  few  miles 
northeast  of  the  city.  Both  these  springs  were  in  this  rock. 
The  sandstone  is  here  the  lowest  rock,  and  is  of  great  ex- 
tent, reaching  from  Niagara  river  to  the  neighbourhood  of 
Utica  along  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Ontario.  Its  colour 
is  a  dark  reddish  brown,  containing  portions  which  are  gray. 
It  is  separated  into  layers  of  different  depths  by  parts  of  a 
soft  slaty  structure,  which  rapidly  disintegrate.     This  rock, 


GEOLOGICAL    SKETCHES.  67 

according  to  Professor  Eaton,  lies  next  above  the  millstone 
grit,  and  is    also  near  the   transition   graywacke.      It  is, 
doubtless,  the  old  red  sandstone  of  the  English  geologists, 
and  lies  far  under  the  coal  formation.     If  it  is  not  the  old  red 
sandstone,  it  must  belong  to  a  still  older  part  of  the  tran- 
sition series.     In  some  minds  this  is  probable,  because  it  is 
thought  to  be  below  the  old  red  sandstone,  which  lies  in  place 
under  the  coal  in  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  and  because  the 
strata  dip  so  much  to  the  south  and  west  both  here  and  in  the 
states  just  mentioned.     From  various  surveys  it  is  found  that 
the  coal  at  Pittsburgh  is  above  Ohio  River  329  feet  ; 
above  Lake  Erie,  543  ; 
above  Canal  at  Rochester,  617; 
■ ,,  ,-  above  sandstone  at  Rochester,  761 ; 

>  •'  ■        -  above  Lake  Ontario,  883. 

The  dip*  would  carry  the  sandstone  far  below  the  coal  at 
Pittsburgh.  Leaving  this  point  to  be  settled  by  geologists, 
it  should  be  remarked  that  the  sandstone  forms  a  wall  for 
the  banks  of  the  river  from  the  top  of  the  Lower  Falls, 
often  precipitous  or  even  overhanging  the  bed  of  waters, 
often  retiring,  and  covered  towards  the  bottom  with  the  ac- 
cumulated debris  of  past  days.  Fucoides  and  other  vege- 
table remains  are  found  in  the  sandstone  in  great  abundance, 
from  about  twelve  to  twenty-five  feet  below  the  upper  sur- 
face. Splendid  specimens  of  fucoides  are  obtained  on  split- 
ting open  the  strata. 

A  part  of  this  stone  easily  disintegrates,  and  seems  to  be 
a  red  marly  slate  ;  none  of  it  can  endure  the  action  of  water 
and  frost.  The  aqueduct  of  the  Erie  Canal  across  the  Gen- 
esee River  was  built  of  this  rock ;  its  arches  have  been  for 
some  years  in  a  crumbling  state,  and  cannot  long  withstand 
the  action  of  those  powers.  (A  new  aqueduct  is  now  in 
progress.) 

A  stratum  of  gray  sandstone,  about  four  feet  thick,  called 
by  Professor  Eaton  gray-band,  lies  directly  upon  the  red 
sandstone.  It  forms  a  beautiful  stripe  in  the  banks  of  the 
river.  At  the  Lower  Falls  the  waters  are  precipitated  di- 
rectly over  this  rock  eighty-four  feet,  into  the  chasm  where 
the  river  assumes  the  lake  level.     It  appears  to  differ  little 

*  All  the  strata,  while  they  appear  to  lie  in  horizontal  layers,  have 
an  inclination  or  dip  to  the  south.  This  is  commonly  more  than  one 
foot  in  a  hundred,  and  less  than  one  in  eighty.  In  some  cases  it  is  con- 
siderably greater.  The  dip  may  be  taken  at  about  one  foot  in  eighty, 
seven. 


68  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

from  the  other  sandstone  except  in  colour,  and  poriions  of 
the  same  colour  are  diffused  throughout  the  red.  Both  often 
slightly  effervesce  with  acids.  The  gray  seems  to  disinte- 
grate with  rather  more  ease  than  the  thick  blocks  of  the 
other.  It  extends  with  the  red  sandstone  several  hundred 
miles,  as  stated  by  Prof.  Eaton  in  his  geological  survey  of 
the  canal  rocks,  and  is  so  siniihir  in  its  cliaracter  that  it  must 
be  arranged  with  it.     Both  are  somewhat  virgillaccous. 

Fine  particles  of  mica  often  occur  in  the  sandstone,  bright 
and  glistening  ;  but  the  quantity  of  mica  in  this  part  of  the 
rock  seems  to  be  very  small. 

The  sandstone  becomes  more  elevated  as  you  descend  the 
river  from  the  Ontario  steamboat-landing  (at  the  north  bound- 
ary of  the  city  of  Rochester),  and  soon  the  whole  banks 
are  of  this  rock.  The  distance  from  that  landing  to  the 
junction  of  the  Genesee  with  Lake  Ontario  is  about  five 
miles.  Parts  of  the  sandstone  seem  to  rise  into  considerable 
elevations  back  from  the  river,  so  as  to  appear  nearly  as  high 
as  the  rocks  at  the  Upper  Falls.  West  of  Rochester  the 
sandstone  is  still  higher.  About  thirteen  miles  west,  in 
Ogden,  tlie  canal  is  fur  a  short  distance  upon  the  sandstone. 
This  was  remarked  by  Professor  Eaton,  and  is  clearly  the 
fact.  It  does  not,  however,  indicate  any  singular  elevation 
of  the  sandstone  ;  for  the  canal  is  there  near  the  Ridge- 
Road,  along  which  this  rock  is  much  higher  than  at  the 
steamboat-landing  in  Rochester.  This  is  the  true  solution 
(as  suggested  by  Mr.  Hall,  one  of  the  state  geologists)  of 
the  apparent  rise  of  the  red  sandstone  in  Ogden. 

2.  Mountain  Limestone. — This  is  an  extensive  rock  in 
Europe,  and  is  composed  of  a  varying  series  of  slate,  lime- 
stone, sandstone,  gray  wacke,  marly  slate,  and  shale.  It  em- 
braces the  great  beds  of  transition  limestone,  often  semi- 
crystalline,  and  affording  beautiful  marble.  It  contains  also 
abundance  of  encrinites,  madrepores,  productus,  &lc.,  and, 
in  some  parts  of  it,  multitudes  of  trilobites.  It  rises  often 
into  mountain  masses.  It  lies  under  and  supports  the  great 
coal  formation  generally.  On  the  Continent  of  Europe  in 
some  places  it  is  wanting,  and  the  coalfields  are  separated 
from  the  primitive  rocks  only  by  a  thick  stratum  of  sand- 
stone. In  our  series  is  a  similar  mixture  and  alternation  of 
slate,  limestone,  gray  wacke,  shale,  and  sandstone,  or  quartz- 
ose  limestone,  and  the  same  kind  of  petrifactions  is  abun- 
dant. It  seems  also  to  underlie  the  coal  of  the  south  and 
west. 


GEOLOGICAL   SKETCHES.  69 

Professor  Eaton  has  distinguished  several  of  the  strata  in 
this  great  formation  by  particular  names,  which  make  the 
rocks  a  matter  of  easy  reference.  His  ferriferous  slate,  ar- 
gillaceous iron  ore,  ferriferous  sandrock,  calciferous  slate, 
or  second  graywacke,  or  lias,  geodiferous  limerock  and  cor- 
nutiferous  limerock,  seem  to  correspond  to  the  various  parts 
of  the  mountain  limestone.  They  evidently  alternate,  and  a 
part  gradually  pass  into  each  other.  This  will  be  apparent 
in  the  examination  of  them. 

3.  Argillaceous  Slate — Marly  Slate. — This  is  a  soft, 
friable,  green,  argillaceous  slate,  breaking  into  small  frag- 
ments with  the  least  force.  It  begins  directly  above  the 
gray  sandstone,  and  rests  upon  it ;  but  it  alternates  with  the 
other  rocks,  or  occurs  in  thin  layers  between  their  strata. 
It  rapidly  disintegrates  into  a  clayey  soil  on  exposure  to  the 
elements.  It  sometimes  effervesces  slightly  with  acids.  It 
is  so  easily  reduced  to  earth  that  it  seems  to  approach  an 
argillaceous  marl.  As  it  alternates  with  the  other  rocks,  it 
is  sometimes  much  harder,  and  disintegrates  with  greater 
difficulty.  There  are  two  thick  strata  of  this  slate  in  the 
banks  of  the  Genesee.  The  first  and  lowest  rests  upon  the 
gray  sandstone,  and  forms  a  beautiful  green  band  at  and 
below  the  Lower  Falls  and  Steamboat-Landing.  As  it  lies 
under  the  bed  of  iron  ore,  it  was  called  by  Professor  Eaton 
ferriferous  slate.  At  the  Steamboat-Landing  this  stratum  is 
about  twenty  feet  thick :  then  it  alternates  with  the  lower 
layers  of  his  ferriferous  sandrock  for  three  or  four  feet  to 
the  argillaceous  iron  ore,  and  continues  to  alternate  in  the 
same  way  above  the  ore,  only  each  stratum  becoming  thin- 
ner for  several  feet.  Its  whole  thickness  from  the  gray- 
band  to  the  iron  ore  is,  in  thebanksof  the  Genesee,  twenty- 
three  feet.  Petrifactions  are  not  found  in  it  till  reaching  the 
ferriferous  sandrock,  where  are  shells  which  leave  their  im- 
pressions in  the  slate. 

The  second  thick  stratum  of  this  slate  begins  sixteen  feet 
above  the  iron  ore,  and  is  twenty-four  feet  thick.  It  is  a 
part  of  the  lower  stratum  of  calciferous  slate,  or,  rather,  was 
not  distinguished  from  it.  The  colour  is  a  lighter  green 
than  that  of  the  layer  first  mentioned,  but  it  is  precisely  the 
same  rock,  and  is  often  mistaken  for  the  ferriferous  slate 
below  by  those  not  familiar  with  the  position  of  the  several 
strata.  A  little  more  than  half  way  up  this  layer  of  argil- 
laceous slate,  and  thirty-one  feet  above  the  iron  ore,  are  two 


70  SKETCHES    OF    KOCIIESTER,    ETC. 

layers  of  petrifactions  three  or  four  inches  thick  each,  and 
near  each  other,  composed  almost  wholly  of  small  pearly 
and  beautiful  terrebratulites.  Sometimes  are  found  near 
these  two  other  very  thin  layers  of  the  same  shells.  Among 
these  petrifactions  occur  sparingly  producius  and  trilobites. 
This  layer  of  argillaceous  slate  forms  a  light  green  band  in 
the  steep  banks  above  and  below  the  Lower  Falls.  In  it  the 
trilobite  is  occasionally  found,  but  of  so  fragile  a  texture  83 
easily  to  fall  in  pieces.  This  slate  forms  the  divisions  be- 
tween the  layers  of  calciferous  slate  above  for  at  least  a 
hundred  feet.  It  is  too  widely  diflused  in  the  other  rocks 
to  be  limited  to  one  place,  and  is  one  of  the  alternating 
series  of  the  mountain  limestone.  At  the  upper  step  of  the 
Lower  Falls,  that  part  of  this  slate  called  the  ferriferous 
passes  under  the  incumbent  rocks,  forming  about  half  of  that 
precipice  of  twenty-five  feet. 

4.  The  Argillaceous  Iron  Ore  is  a  stratum  about  a 
foot  thick  in  the  banks  of  the  Genesee,  lying  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  ferriferous  sandrock,  and  only  separated  from  the 
body  of  green  argillite  below  by  some  alternating  layers  of 
it  and  the  sandrock.  The  ore  has  a  fine  reddish  colour  like 
bright  Spanish  brown ;  hard  like  a  rock,  rather  compact, 
tough,  containing  lenticular  forms,  and  sometimes  nodular 
masses,  as  if  the  ore  had  been  partially  fused  ;  often  oolitic 
in  its  appearance.  On  exposure  to  the  air  it  becomes  darker, 
and  is  more  frangible  ;  its  powder  has  the  same  fine  red  as 
when  it  is  first  removed  from  its  bed.  'i'his  layer  is  very 
extensive,  as  it  comes  to  the  surface  a  few  miles  west  of 
Utica  (one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  east  of  Rochester), 
■where  it  supplies  the  furnaces  of  that  part  of  the  country, 
and  is  often  a  thicker  stratum.  It  is  found,  too,  in  the  same 
connexion  several  miles  west  of  the  Genesee.  It  is  exten- 
sively smelted  also  in  Wayne  county,  where  it  is  three  feet 
thick,  and  in  other  sections.  It  yields  about  thirty  to  thirty- 
three  per  cent,  of  iron.  It  effervesces  with  acids,  and  con- 
tains more  than  the  sufficient  quantity  of  lime  for  smelting. 
It  might  easily  and  profitably  be  manufactured  into  Spanish 
brown  for  paint,  if  there  is  any  considerable  demand  for  that 
article. 

This  ore  lies  near  the  surface  at  the  Landing  at  Rochester, 
and  descends  under  the  rocks  at  the  Lower  Falls,  upper  step  : 
here  it  has  been  blasted  through  in  two  places  in  sinking 
the  foundations  of  mills.     The  relations  of  the  ore  are  here, 


GEOLOGICAL   SKETCHES.  71 

thirty  feet  below  the  surface,  exactly  the  same  as  at  the 
Rochester  steamboat-landing. 

Abundance  of  small  petrifactions  are  in  the  ore.  Many 
portions  seem  to  be  composed  almost  wholly  of  small  petri- 
factions.    Encrinites,  pentacrinites,  and  shells  abound  in  ir. 

This  ore  has  been  transported  through  the  VVelland  Canal 
to  Ohio  for  smelting  to  a  small  extent.  It  is  a  very  valu- 
able deposite  for  this  part  of  the  state,  and  may  be  wrought 
to  an  indefinite  amount. 

5.  Ferriferous  Sandrock — Eaton. — This  extends  from 
the  iron  ore  upward  about  ten  feet.  The  composition  seems 
to  be  limestone  and  fine  grains  of  quartz,  making  it  a  flinty 
rather  than  a  sandy  limestone.  It  is  close-grained,  com- 
pact, tough,  forming  excellent  stones  for  building.  It  lies 
in  strata  of  a  few  inches  in  thickness  to  that  of  a  foot  or 
more,  separated  by  thin  and  hard  or  soft  green  argillite, 
and  has  been  extensively  quarried.  It  often  contains  much 
silicious  slate,  and  forms  a  very  hard  rock,  greatly  annoy- 
ing those  who  are  blasting  it.  One  layer  especially,  from 
one  to  two  feet  thick,  is  chiefly  silicious,  and  contains  chal- 
cedony and  cornelian  in  masses  or  mamillary  forms.  Sili- 
cious sinter  is  also  in  the  cavities.  In  some  parts  of  this, 
cacholong  is  difl'used  in  all  directions  in  veins.  Loose 
pieces  of  this  cacholong  and  silicious  slate  are  found  among 
the  debris  at  Rochester,  and  have  been  borne  with  frag- 
ments of  the  red  sandstone,  in  some  great  change  of  the  wa- 
ters, some  miles  up  the  river.  The  source  of  these  pieces 
was  discovered  in  blasting  through  this  rock  at  the  upper 
step  of  the  Lower  Falls.  It  is  a  very  well  characterized  rock. 
The  surface  of  it  lies  just  below  the  level  of  the  railroad  at 
the  steamboat-landing,  and  the  rock  is  seen  in  the  bank  to 
the  top  of  the  upper  step  of  the  Lower  Falls,  where  it  is  the 
bed  of  the  river,  and  where  the  Genesee  falls  over  it.  A 
part  of  this  rock  has  a  deep  green  colour,  as  if  it  was  tinged 
by  oxyd  of  copper.  In  blasting  through  it  near  the  top 
of  the  upper  step  of  the  Lower  Falls,  pyritous  copper,  green 
carbonate  of  copper,  and  native  copper  were  found,  in  small 
quantities  indeed,  in  many  specimens. 

Some  petrifactions  are  found  in  this  rock  near  the  green 
argillite,  and  also  in  some  of  the  strata  above  it.  They  are 
not  so  numerous,  however,  as  in  some  other  rocks. 

On  this  rock,  about  three  feet  above  the  iron  ore,  stood  on 
the  brink  of  the  precipitous  bank  the  abutment  of  the  single- 


T2  SKETCHES    OF   EOCHESTER,   ETC. 

arched  bridge  which  was  thrown  across  the  Genesee  in 
1819,  and  which  remained  one  day  more  than  the  year  for 
which  it  was  warranted  to  stand.  (See  account  thereof  in 
this  volume.) 

This  rock  occurs  also  many  feet  above  this  position  in 
layers  alternating  with  the  calciierous  slate.  Like  the  green 
argillite,  it  is  not  confined  to  one  place.  Indeed,  the  slate, 
and  the  sandrock,  and  the  limestone  appear  to  alternate 
irregularly  for  more  than  a  hundred  feet  in  depth.  Such  a 
fact  shows  that  the  rocks  are  to  be  taken  geologically  in  ex- 
tensive series,  and  that  the  character  of  the  series  is  to  be 
the  subject  of  attention  as  a  whole. 

The  several  particular  strata  of  the  rocks  already  men- 
tioned, and  which  Professor  Eaton  designated  by  specific 
names,  are  seen  in  both  banks  of  the  Genesee  from  the 
steamboat-landing  up  the  river.  They  form  beautiful  bands 
or  stripes  in  the  bank  of  as  many  different  colours.  The  red 
sandstone  and  the  gray  pass  out  of  sight  at  the  Lower  Falls. 
Above  the  last  lies  the  ferriferous  slate,  next  the  red  ar- 
gillaceous iron  ore,  and  then  the  ferriferous  sandrock — all 
of  which  are  hidden  from  the  sight  at  the  upper  step  of  those 
falls,  in  dipping  under  the  calciferous  slate. 

6.  Calciferous  Slate,  or  Second  Graywacke — Eaton. 
— This  rock  is  a  thick  and  diversified  stratum,  and  contains 
in  it  layers  of  very  different  rocks,  which  become,  in  as- 
cending, more  bituminous.  It  reposes  on  the  stratum  of  fer- 
riferous sandrock.  At  and  below  the  steamboat-landing  it 
is  thin,  and  a  portion  has  a  slaty  structure.  It  is  the  rock 
on  which  the  collector's  office  stands.  The  argillite  is  found 
everywhere  between  the  layers.  At  the  lower  part,  and  just 
twelve  feet  above  the  iron  ore,  it  contains  a  layer  from 
twelve  to  sixteen  inches  thick  of  petrifactions.  Except 
some  terrebratulites  and  cyathophyllites  scattered  through 
it,  the  layer  is  almost  wholly  a  mass  of  pentemerus.  At  the 
Lower  Falls  (upper  step),  where  the  rocks  have  been  blasted 
through  even  the  argillaceous  ore  into  the  green  argillite, 
this  layer  of  petrifactions  is  here  also  twelve  feet  above  the 
ore,  and  many  beautiful  masses  of  these  petrifactions  have 
been  raised  to  the  surface.  Petrifactions  of  other  shells  are 
found  in  some  of  the  strata  a  few  feet  above  this  ore.  They 
seem  to  be  terrebratulites.  Indeed,  petrifactions  are  com- 
mon through  all  the  strata.  Green  argillite  in  thin  layers, 
but  harder  and  of  a  firmer  texture,  not  bo  easily  disintegra- 


GEOLOGICAL   SKETCHES.  73 

ting,  occurs  between  the  lower  strata  of  the  calciferous  slate. 
Here,  too,  occurs  fine-grained  graywacke,  similar  to  that 
quarried  at  Troy,  on  the  Hudson,  but  of  a  finer  grain  than 
that  on  the  top  of  the  falls,  slightly  effervescing  with  acids. 
Professor  Eaton  called  all  this  stratum  "  Second  Gray^ 
wacke."  At  the  top  of  the  upper  step  of  the  Lower  Falls, 
the  calciferous  slate  forms  the  banks  of  the  river,  more  than 
one  hundred  feet  high,  to  the  Middle  Falls  of  96  feet,  and 
for  a  considerable  distance  above  them.  The  stratum  must 
be  more  than  150  feet  thick. 

About  six  feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  calciferous  slate  be- 
gins the  stratum  of  green  argillite,  about  twenty-four  feet 
thick,  already  mentioned,  composed  almost  wholly  of  shells 
— small  and  beautiful.  Some  feet  above  these  are  several 
strata,  one  or  two  feet  thick,  of  limestone,  closely  resembling 
the  ferriferous  sandrock.  Then  comes  a  looser  calciferous 
slate,  and  then  a  blue  slaty  limestone,  forty  feet  thick,  in 
which  especially  the  trilobites  have  been  found,  as  Asaphus 
caudatus,  with  and  without  tails,  like  the  figures  of  this  spe- 
cies in  Buckland's  Geology,  and  often  destitute  of  the  head, 
and  another  species  less  common.  The  trilobites  have  been 
found  also  in  the  layers  of  small  shells  just  mentioned;  and 
in  the  argillaceous  slate  under  them,  one  specimen  of  Caly- 
mene  Blumenbachii  ?  Productus  and  orthoceratites  occur 
also  with  the  trilobites.  The  lower  part  of  this  stratum  is 
decidedly  calciferous — a  limestone  often  of  slaty  structure 
lying  in  layers  only  a  few  inches  thick.  As  you  ascend 
towards  the  Middle  Falls,  it  becomes  nearly  an  argillite, 
strongly  bituminous,  resembling  the  more  compact  varieties 
of  bituminous  shale,  and  effervescing  some  with  acids  :  as 
you  come  near  the  falls,  it  is  perhaps  fifty  feet  thick,  and 
contains  masses  of  gypsum,  subcrystalline.  As  you  ascend 
higher  in  the  bank,  you  find  more  perfect  calciferous  slate, 
till  near  the  top  it  becomes  decidedly  graywacke  limestone ; 
tough,  hard,  fine-grained,  with  geodes  of  gypsum  and  quartz  ; 
and  forms  the  bed  over  which  the  waters  of  the  Middle  Falls 
(96  feet)  are  precipitated. 

The  Falls  of  Niagara  are  266  feet  above  Lake  Ontario, 
and  these  Middle  Falls  of  Rochester  are  232  feet  above  the 
lake  level. 

The  bituminous  shale  below  the  Middle  Falls  is  slowly 
breaking  away  and  undermining  this  part  of  the  graywacke 
limestone  above.     This  stone  is  quarried  to  great  extent  at 


*lf4  SKETCHES    OF   ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

the  falls  and  above  the  canal  aqueduct,  for  building  stone. 
The  bed  of  the  river  has  been  lowered  several  feet  where 
the  new  aqueduct  for  the  enlarged  canal  is  now  construct- 
ing. (The  descent  at  this  point  is  called  the  First  Fall 
• — water  from  which  supplies  many  large  mills,  &c.)  In 
splitting  this  rock  last  July,  in  a  layer  some  feet  below  the 
recent  bed  of  the  river,  and  from  which  layer  the  incum- 
bent stone  had  just  been  removed,  a  large  cavity  nearly  filled 
with  pebbles  was  found.  There  were,  perhaps,  nearly  six 
quarts  of  pebbles,  of  quartz,  hornstone,  limestone,  sandstone, 
gray  wacke,  mica  slate,  &c.  The  cavity  seems  to  have  been 
worn  smooth  by  the  attrition  of  the  pebbles,  like  the  cavities 
in  many  rocks,  and  then  to  have  been  filled  up  by  the  com- 
mon pebbles  of  the  banks.  The  workmen  declare  that  the 
cavity  was  entirely  covered  by  the  solid  rock  ;  so  that  the 
lunestone  must  have  been  deposited  from  the  water,  and 
closed  up  the  cavity.  That  the  cavity  was  worn  and  filled 
long  after  the  rock  was  formed,  is  evident  from  its  appear- 
ance :  besides,  some  fragments  of  recent  shells  were  found 
■with  the  pebbles.  Some  of  the  pebbles  are  two  inches  long, 
many  an  inch,  and  some  very  small.  One  fragment  of  the 
shells,  part  of  a  unio,  is  more  than  an  inch  long. 

The  surface  of  this  rock  at  the  Rapids  and  at  the  falls, 
and  many  other  places,  is  found  to  be  polished,  as  will  be 
more  particularly  noticed  hereafter.  On  the  western  bank, 
in  view  of  the  Middle  Falls,  stand  some  of  the  mills  and 
factories  which  captivate  the  attention  of  those  who  love  the 
sound  of  untiring  machinery,  and  which  offer  so  beautiful 
a  view  in  the  fine  drawings  of  the  Falls  by  Mr.  Young  (of 
which  engravings  are  included  in  this  volume.) 

Below  the  Middle  Falls  are  several  springs  of  hydrosul- 
phuretted  water  issuing  from  the  shale ;  and  occasionally  in- 
crustations of  gypsum  cover  the  walls.  A  few  rods  below 
these  falls,  and  about  70  feet  perhaps  above  the  river,  is  a 
spring  of  Epsom  salt,  which  effloresces  (as  Professor  Eaton 
remarks)  upon  the  rocks.  Fine  specimens  of  the  salt  are 
easily  obtained  in  dry  weather  in  small  crystals.  The 
multitude  of  these  springs  in  this  part  of  the  country  seem  to 
have  their  origin  in  this  rock. 

In  the  graywacke  limestone  on  the  top  of  the  Middle 
Falls  are  found  the  remains  of  vegetables,  seaweed,  or  fucoi- 
des.  A  more  delicate  variety  is  found  in  the  rocks  at  the 
upper  step  of  the  Lower  Falls.  In  the  fragments  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  Middle  Falls  are  corallines,  fucoides,  and  petrifac- 


GEOLOGICAL   SKETCHES.  75 

tiona  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  whose  sides  contain  an  angle  of 
about  one  sixth  of  a  circle.  Similar  remains  appear  in  the 
red  sandstone  as  well  as  in  this  stratum.  The  graywacke 
limestone  extends  from  the  Middle  Falls  of  the  river  to  the 
head  of  the  Rapids. 

At  Mile-End,  the  residence  of  Derick  Sibley,  a  mile 
west  of  the  river  on  Buffalo-street,  is  an  extensive  quarry 
of  the  calciferous  slate.  Its  layers  are  very  uneven.  I  have 
seen  a  beautiful  nerita  which  was  found  at  this  place. 

About  the  falls  the  banks  abound  with  beautiful  flowers. 
Adhering  to  the  rocks  below  the  falls  is  the  rare  pengui- 
cula  vulgaris,  Lin.  On  the  banks  are  Houstonia  ciiiolata, 
Tor.,  penetemon  pubescens,  diervilla  Canadensis,  Muh., 
shepherdia  Canadensis,  Nutt.,  &c. 

Along  the  banks  in  many  places  are  large  masses  of  cal- 
careous tufa.  Occasionally  it  breaks  off  and  falls  below — 
the  fragments  are  abundant.  This  mineral  is  constantly 
forming  now  by  the  deposition  of  limestone  from  the  water 
filtering  through  the  rocks.  It  is  sometimes  deposited  on 
the  mosses  on  the  rocks.  The  vegetable  decays  and  disap- 
pears, leaving  the  tufa  in  the  form  of  the  moss.  Indeed,  the 
people  often  call  the  mineral  ''  petrified  moss."  The  cal- 
ciferous slate  contains  many  cavities  or  geodes  of  minerals, 
and  seems  verging  towards  the  following  stratum. 

Geodiferous  Limerock. — Eaton. — This  stratum  only 
begins  to  show  itself  in  the  city.  A  thin  layer  of  it  lies 
near  the  surface  at  Mile-End,  formerly  Bull's-Head  ;  and  it 
is  found  at  the  south  up  the  river.  Near  the  glue-factory, 
and  half  a  mile  east  of  the  Genesee,  the  canal  is  cut  through  a 
portion  of  the  geodiferous  limerock,  which  extends  eastward 
into  Brighton,  where  it  is  more  abundant  and  is  very  hard 
and  dark,  and  strongly  bituminous — the  geodes  containing 
calcareous  spar,  some  fluate  of  lime,  and  porous  quartz.  It 
is  here  burned  into  excellent  lime.  Many  of  the  cavities 
seem  to  contain  some  petrifactions,  upon  or  around  which 
the  geodes  of  crystals  have  been  formed. 

This  rock  is  of  great  thickness  at  the  south  and  west, 
forming  no  inconsiderable  portion  of  the  ridge  through  which 
the  canal  passes  at  Lockport.  In  this  city  it  seems  to  be  a 
very  limited  rock,  extending  only  a  few  miles  within  or  out 
of  the  city.  The  rock  has  a  very  rough,  ragged  appear- 
ance.    It  lies  on  about  the  same  level  with  the  Rapids. 


76  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

Section  of  the  Rocks  on  Genesee  River,  from  the   Ontario 
Steamhoat-Lunding  to  the  level  of  the  Rapids. 

Dip  south  one  foot  in  about  87 — series  ascending. 

No.  1  is  the  sandstone  containing  fucoides — it  is  120  feet 
thick  at  the  Landing,  and  80  at  the  Lower  Falls. 

No.  2  is  the  grayband  of  Professor  Eaton,  4  feet  thick. 

No.  3.  Argillaceous  slate  or  marl  slate,  23  feet  thick. 

No.  4.  Argillaceous  iron  ore,  one  foot  thick,  with  various 
petrifactions. 

No.  5.  Silicious  limestone — ferriferous  sandrock  of  Pro- 
fessor Eaton — 10  feet  thick,  with  some  shells. 

No.  6.  Calcifcrous  slate,  having  near  the  bottom  of  it  the 
stratum  of  pentemerus,  with  some  cyathophyllites — the 
whole  six  feet  thick — also  fucoides. 

No.  7.  Argillaceous  slate  or  marl  slate,  24  feet  thick, 
with  some  trilobites.  The  layers  of  terrebratulites  lie  in  it, 
and  are  shown  on  the  section  by  two  lines  in  this  number. 

No.  8.  Silicious  limestone,  like  No.  5. 

No.  9.  Blue  calciferous  limestone,  with  trilobites  40  feet 
thick,  and  productus,  and  terrebratulites,  and  orthoceratites. 

No.  10.  Layers  of  calciferous  slate,  thin  and  crumbling. 

No.  11.  Dark  argillaceous  slate,  with  gypsum  in  nodules 
— under  the  Middle  Falls  is  about  50  feet  thick — bituminous. 

No.  12.  The  graywacke  limestone  is  about  46  feet  thick 
above  the  last  to  the  top  of  the  Middle  Falls,  and  then  con- 
tinues up  the  river  about  50  feet  thick — hard,  compact,  very 
bituminous — used  to  a  great  extent  for  building. 

No.  13.  Geodiferous  limerock  lies  on  the  east  and  west 
of  the  city  ;  contains  geodes  of  calc  spar,  with  various  petri- 
factions, and  some  fluate  of  lime  and  sulphuret  of  zinc, 
four  feet. 

The  distance  from  A  to  B  marks  the  height  of  the  last 
step  (84  feet)  of  the  Lower  Falls ;  from  B  to  C  gives  the 
ascent  to  the  upper  step  of  those  falls  ;  D  to  E  shows  the 
height  of  the  upper  step  of  the  Lower  Falls,  about  25  feet ;  E 
to  F  shows  the  ascent  up  the  river  ;  the  distance  from  F  to 
G  is  the  height  of  the  Middle  Falls,  96  feet  ;  and  G  to  H 
shows  the  ascent  to  the  Rapids.  The  true  proportions  are 
not  attempted  to  be  preserved  :  it  is  evident  that  the  several 
falls  are  much  too  small,  and  the  slopes  much  too  great. 
The  height  of  the  section  involves  the  dip  of  the  strata. 


GEOLOGICAL   SKETCHES. 


77 


Sand  and  gravel  are  spread  abundantly  over  the  surface 
of  the  rocks  under  the  proper  and  rich  soil  of  the  country. 
From  Lake  Ontario  southward,  this  sand  lies  of  various 
depths,  and  raised  into  hills  of  moderate  elevation,  giving  a 
waving  appearance  to  the  surface.  The  rise  near  the  flour- 
ishing seminary  of  Miss  Seward  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
city  has  been  cut  through,  and  the  layers  of  sand  and  gravel 
beautifully  displayed  in  their  regular  and  undulating  lines  of 
7* 


.  je^ 


^' 


78  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

fine  and  coarse  gravel,  as  if  the  deposition  had  been  made  by 
the  waving  movement  of  a  mighty  deep.  At  a  mile  south 
of  the  city,  the  diluvium  rises  into  an  elevation  of  two  hun- 
dred feet,  called  the  Pinnacle ;  and  at  a  mile  and  a  half  south- 
east of  the  city  the  road  to  Piitsford  is  cut  through  a  de- 
pression, and  exhibits  the  same  appearance  as  that  already 
mentioned. 

The  Erratic  Groupe  lies  in  and  upon  the  diluvium.  It 
consists  of  rolled  masses  and  boulders  of  granite,  gneiss, 
mica  slate,  hornblende  rock,  sienite,  quartz,  primitive  serpen- 
tine, evidently  transported  from  some  region  at  the  north, 
spread  abundantly  over  the  plains,  accumulated  on  the  north 
side  of  elevations,  and  affording  full  proof  of  the  mighty 
power  of  a  sweeping  flood.  One  can  hardly  fail  to  imagine, 
as  he  stands  among  those  ruins,  that  he  hears  the  roar  of  the 
upturned  ocean,  while  he  sees  the  grinding  effects  which 
have  been  produced.  In  these  boulders  are  found  garnet, 
sulphuret  of  iron,  schorl.  Sic.  Many  of  these  boulders  are 
from  two  to  four  feet  through :  the  largest  that  we  have 
noticed  is  beside  the  railroad,  a  mile  from  Main-street,  which 
is  eight  and  a  half  feet  long,  eight  feet  broad,  and  three  feet 
deep — a  mass  of  granite,  but  chiefly  feldspar. 

From  seven  to  ten  miles  east  of  Rochester,  the  diluvium 
is  heaped  up  into  banks  and  rounded  elevations  from  50  to 
150  feet  high  along  the  Irondequoit  Creek.  All  the  strata  are 
here  cut  through  by  the  stream,  but  mostly  covered  over  by 
the  diluvium.  It  was  on  the  bank  of  this  stream,  near  Ful- 
lam's  Basin,  in  the  town  of  Perrinton,  that  the  thigh  bone, 
one  large  tusk,  and  two  teeth  of  the  fossil  elephant,  masto- 
don, were  found  in  the  diluvium,  over  which  stood  the  aged 
trees  of  the  ancient  forest.  A  part  of  these  remains  are  now 
to  be  seen  in  the  Rochester  Museum  kept  by  Mr.  Bishop. 
The  discovery  was  made  by  Mr.  Wm.  Mann,  while  digging 
up  a  stump.  The  teeth  were  deposited  about  four  feet  below 
the  surface  of  the  earth.  These  were  in  a  tolerably  good 
state  of  preservation  :  the  roots  began  to  crumble  a  little  on 
exposure,  but  the  enamel  of  the  teeth  was  in  almost  a  per- 
fect state. 

In  August,  1837,  the  remains  of  another  mammoth  were 
uncovered  in  excavating  the  Genesee  Valley  Canal,  where 
it  crosses  Sophia-street,  on  Cornhill,  in  Rochester.  The 
tusk,  eight  or  ten  feet  long,  and  at  least  eight  inches  in  di- 
ameter, was  picked  to  pieces  by  the  labourers,  who  supposed 


GEOLOGICAL    SKETCHES.  79 

it  was  a  white  log  of  wood.  The  termination  is  preserved, 
a  foot  OT  more  in  length  ;  a  rib  and  a  part  of  a  leg  are  in  bet- 
ter preservation.  A  portion  of  the  scull  was  also  found. 
The  skeleton  was  about  four  feet  below  the  surface,  and  in 
and  upon  a  dense  blue  hardpan  ;  the  whole  rested  upon 
polished  limestone.  Other  fragments  of  the  bones  of  the  an- 
imal have  been  dug  up  near  the  same  place. 

Beds  of  sand  for  the  formation  of  mortar  are  abundant  in 
the  diluvium. 

Clay  for  the  manufacture  of  brick  lies  along  the  south  part 
of  the  city,  and  extends  eastward  into  Brighton ;  it  is  still 
more  abundant  in  the  vale  on  the  southeast  side  of  the  Pin- 
nacle, along  the  road  to  Pittsford.  At  a  mile  south  of  the  city, 
a  bed  of  clay  is  manufactured  into  brick  to  a  great  extent. 
It  occurs  under  a  foot  of  rich  loamy  soil,  which  is  still  in 
part  covered  with  the  original  forest,  and  is  only  twelve  to 
twenty  inches  thick.  Immediately  under  it  is  a  bed  of  fine 
white  sand,  as  convenient  as  necessary  for  use  in  brickma- 
king.  It  seems  to  extend  under  several  hundred  acres. 
Brick-clay  abounds  in  Rochester  and  its  vicinity. 

DEPOSITES    OF    SAND. 

The  deposites  of  fine  sand,  nearly  pure  silex,  suitable  in 
many  places  for  the  manufacture  of  glass,  and  extensively 
wrought  in  several  towns  in  the  middle  of  the  state  into  this 
important  material,  is  an  interesting  geological  fact.  That 
already  mentioned  in  this  city  is  only  a  poor  specimen,  and 
very  limited,  too,  when  compared  with  many  others.  The 
sand  is  covered  by  the  natural  soil,  and  then  by  a  mixture  of 
sand  and  clay,  and  is  often  only  three  or  four  feet  below 
the  surface,  which  is  yet,  in  many  parts,  covered  with  dense 
forest.  It  appears  to  have  been  deposited  by  some  great 
flow  of  the  waters,  and  not  to  have  been  the  result  of  a  dis- 
integration of  quartz  rock  like  that  (for  example)  which  is 
found  in  Cheshire,  Berkshire  county,  Mass.  It  seems  to  be 
only  one  more  proof  of  that  Great  Deluge,  of  which  the  evi- 
dences are  so  abundant  and  complete,  over  a  great  extent  of 
our  country  and  of  the  world  at  large. 

POLISHED    ROCK INTERESTING    FACT. 

The  surface  of  the  rocks  at  Rochester  is  in  many  places 
polished,  as  if  they  had  been  worn  and  rubbed  down  by  the 


80  SKETCHES    OF   ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

friction  of  sand  and  stones  borne  over  them.  The  surface 
of  the  geodiferous  rock,  through  which  the  Erie  Canal  was 
cut  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  east  of  the  Genesee,  was  found 
polished — thence  north  it  has  been  found  polished  in  several 
places  to  a  point  twenty  rods  below  the  Middle  Falls.  On 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  near  the  Bethel  Church,  the  Erie 
Canal  is  on  polished  rock.  At  the  depot  of  the  Tonawanda 
(or  Rochester  and  Batavia)  railroad,  and  at  three  miles  west 
of  the  city,  the  railroad  was  cut  through  polished  stone  for 
eighty  to  one  hundred  rods.  The  same  has  been  found  in 
several  intervening  places.  At  the  Kapids  a  large  surface 
polished  has  been  laid  bare  this  year  (1837)  in  excavating 
the  Genesee  Valley  Canal.  In  some  places  the  polish  has 
only  begun — the  hollows  are  passed  over  :  in  most  it  is  very 
perfect.  Lines  or  furrows  are  marked  on  the  polished  sur- 
face from  northeast  to  southwest,  as  if  great  stones  had 
been  moved  on  it.  On  the  east  side  of  the  river  at  Roches- 
ter, these  lines  are  more  nearly  east  and  west.  The  polish 
has  so  manifestly  been  carried  from  one  elevation  to  an- 
other, or  over  the  hollows,  that  it  removes  all  doubt  of  the 
artificial  nature  of  the  work.  When  it  was  done,  and  how 
it  could  have  been  done,  are  interesting  inquiries.  That  the 
present  earth  and  soil  upon  it  was  removed  to  its  present 
position  and  deposited  on  the  polished  surface  is  certain. 
To  make  an  adequate  impression  of  the  fineness  of  the 
polish  on  this  linjestone,  it  is  only  necessary  to  remark  that 
it  is  fine  and  glossy  like  the  artificial  polish  of  marble. 
Professor  Hall,  one  of  the  state  geologists,  found  the  pol- 
ished limestone  at  the  west  in  Ogden  and  on  Niagara  River. 

ALLUVIUM 

Is  scarcely  to  be  discovered  in  this  vicinity,  so  confined 
is  the  river  within  its  high  banks  about  Rochester.  The 
west  side  of  the  river  above  the  falls  is  much  lower  than 
the  eastern  side,  and  is  raised  but  little  above  the  river  for  a 
short  distance.  In  some  places  the  rock  comes  to  the  sur- 
face ;  but  generally  it  is  covered  for  a  few  feet  with  the 
diluvium,  which  seems  to  have  suffered  but  little  from  the 
alluvial  action  of  the  river.  The  ridge  on  which  the 
"Ridge-Road"  is  placed  is  probably  an  extensive  case  of 
alluvium,  formed  long  before  those  changes  which  the  wash- 
ing of  streams  has  produced.     The  Flats  of  the  Genesee, 


GEOLOGICAL    SKETCHES.  81 

which  may  be  seen  to  the  greatest  advantage  from  the  high 
land  about  Geneseo  and  Mount  Morris,  are  beautiful  allu- 
vium. 

KIDGE-ROAD. 

The  Ridge-Road,  which  is  two  miles  north  of  the  city, 
lies  along  an  elevated  deposite  of  sand  and  gravel,  or  water- 
worn  pebbles.  By  many  it  is  considered  as  the  former 
shore  of  Lake  Ontario.  From  Lewiston  on  Niagara  River 
to  Rochester  it  is  a  palpable  elevation,  forming  a  most  ex- 
cellent position  for  the  great  western  road.  It  is  elevated 
about  150  feet  above  the  lake,  and  lies  in  a  very  direct  line, 
distant  from  four  to  six  miles  from  the  shore.  It  extends,  not 
always  with  the  same  distinctness,  to  the  eastern  boundary 
of  Lake  Ontario  ;  and  at  Adams,  in  Jefferson  county,  is  con- 
founded with  an  elevation  about  800  feet  above  the  lake,  or 
150  feet  higher  than  at  this  city.  There  is  a  gradual  descent 
from  its  base,  which  is  depressed  often  suddenly  from  six  to 
fifteen  feet  towards  the  lake.  As  the  name  implies,  there  is 
a  depression  on  the  south  side  of  nearly  the  same  depth  as 
on  the  north  side,  and  often  extending  to  a  considerable  dis- 
tance. In  many  places  the  Ridge-Road  is  only  an  elevation 
of  a  kw  rods  in  width,  and  nearly  equal  on  both  sides,  but 
continues  much  farther  and  descends  more  towards  the 
lake.  Professor  Eaton  attributes  this  ridge  to  the  outcrop- 
ping of  the  red  sandstone,  which  has  not  so  readily  disin- 
tegrated where  it  comes  to  the  surface.  The  ridge  lies  in- 
deed along  the  northern  limit  of  the  sandstone,  which  crops 
out  sometimes  north  and  sometimes  south  of  it,  and  is  often 
penetrated  into  in  sinking  wells  upon  it.  But  it  is  plain 
that  the  ridge  is  a  different  deposite  from  that  which  occurs 
close  by  it  and  on  both  sides  of  it.  The  sand  and  pebbles 
are  peculiar;  not  a  disintegration,  but  rolled  and  deposited 
by  water.  The  remains  of  trees  and  vegetable  matter  are 
often  found  twelve  to  sixteen  feet  deep.  We  have  part  of 
a  tree,  of  the  white  cedar,  recently  dug  out  sixteen  feet  be- 
low the  surface  in  a  well  in  Greece,  about  five  miles  west  of 
the  Genesee.  A  nearly  pure  vegetable  mould,  half  an  inch 
thick,  was  also  thrown  up,  which  lay  upon  a  bed  of  fine 
white  sand  like  that  of  the  lake  shore.  That  the  ridge  has 
been  heaped  up  by  water  there  cannot  be  a  doubt ;  or  that 
the  lake  once,  and  not  for  a  long  period,  washed  its  northern 
side.     The  ridge  is  often  cut  through  by  small  streams, 


82  SKETCHES    OF   ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

which  discharge  the  waters  of  the  southera  side  into  the  lake. 
In  some  places  at  the  west  of  this  it  has  been  artificially 
cut  through,  for  the  purpose  of  draining  more  rapidly  the 
low  lands  of  the  south  side.  A  similar  ridge  is  said  to  exist 
to  some  extent  on  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Ontario  ;  also 
on  the  south  side  of  Lake  Erie  in  Ohio,  and  again  along  a 
part  of  Michigan. 

There  seems  reason  to  believe  that  the  waters  once  ex- 
tended over  a  great  part  of  this  state  ;  that  a  portion  of  the 
eastern  barrier  at  Little  Falls,  east  of  Utica,  where  are  the 
traces  of  the  action  of  water  at  a  level  nearly  or  quite  equal 
to  that  of  Lake  Erie  now,  was  broken  away,  so  that  the 
waters  sunk  to  a  considerably  lower  level ;  that  thus  the 
waters  of  Lake  Ontario  covered  a  large  tract  of  country  to 
only  a  moderate  depth ;  that  probably  the  heaping  up  of 
ice  on  these  shallow  levels  laid  the  foundation  for  the  accu- 
mulation of  gravel  and  sand,  which  were  increased  in  suc- 
cessive years  until  the  ridge  was  formed  ;  that  the  depres- 
sion should  take  place  on  both  sides  in  this  way  is  consist- 
ent tvith  ivhat  now  actually  takes  place  in  the  formation  of 
sandbanks  in  places  along  the  shore.  [See  Note  at  the 
conclusion  of  this  article.]  Thus  the  natural  operation  of 
an  adequate  cause — of  a  cause  easily  comprehended,  may 
have  raised  this  ridge,  and  the  waters  have  extended  through 
the  openings  for  the  streams  on  the  south  of  it.  At  length, 
by  the  bursting  of  the  barrier  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  wa- 
ters subsided  to  a  still  lower  level,  and  Lake  Ontario  sunk 
to  its  present  dimensions. 

The  apparent  elevation  of  the  ridge  in  Adams,  already 
mentioned,  may  seem  to  form  a  strong  objection  to  the 
cause  now  assigned,  and  to  render  more  probable  the  up- 
heaving of  the  strata  below,  as  in  the  case  of  many  banks 
already  mentioned  by  geologists,  by  the  action  of  a  power 
beneath,  such  as  subterranean  fire,  or  crystallization  of  the 
rocks,  or  both. 

It  is  to  be  considered  that  this  ridge  is  much  newer  or  of 
much  later  formation  than  that  of  the  diluvial  hills  and  sand- 
banks of  this  country.  This  is  proved  by  the  existence  of  wood 
and  vegetable  matter  near  its  bottom,  which  have  not  yet 
been  discovered  in  the  diluvial  sandbanks  near  this  ridge. 
The  difference  between  the  earth  of  the  ridge  and  the  earth 
on  both  sides  of  it,  proves  that  it  is  no  upheaving  of  the 
earth  which  has  been  its  cause.     And,  in  respect  to  the 


GEOLOGICAL   SKETCHES.  83 

great  apparent  elevation  of  the  ridge  in  Adams,  it  is  proba- 
ble that  there  the  ridge  joins,  as  it  often  does  along  its 
course  westward,  upon  the  diluvial  hills  which  were  left  at 
a  much  greater  elevation.  Thus,  had  the  Ridge-Road  pass- 
ed by  a  natural  juncture  of  the  ridge  with  the  Pinnacle  near 
Rochester,  the  elevation  there  would  have  been  a  great  ob- 
jection to  the  supposition  that  this  ridge  once  limited  the 
waters  of  the  lake,  while,  in  truth,  such  a  union  would  have 
been  perfectly  consistent  with  the  operation  of  the  cause 
now  assigned.  The  high  elevations  of  sand  in  Adams  are 
probably  the  hills  produced  by  diluvial  action,  and  the  ridge 
is  united  to  them  by  a  line  which  has  not  yet  been  traced, 
and  may  not  ever  be  discovered.  In  support  of  this  origin 
of  the  ridge,  it  is  worthy  of  consideration  that  the  waters  of 
only  a  small  part  of  the  surface  of  Lake  Ontario  are  frozen 
over  in  the  winter.  At  the  mouth  of  ihe  Genesee,  and  on 
each  side  of  it  for  a  long  distance,  the  lake  is  frozen  only 
for  a  little  way,  and  the  ice  is  broken  in  pieces  and  dashed 
upon  the  shore  by  the  winds  and  waves  every  few  days. 
At  the  western  part  its  waters  are  frozen  for  many  miles. 
In  1835-6,  the  steamboat  Traveller  ran  through  the  winter 
from  Niagara  to  Toronto,  across  the  lake  in  a  direct  line 
thirty-six  miles.  In  March  of  that  winter,  the  ice  once  cov- 
ered the  whole  distance,  and  was  broken  through  by  the 
boat.  On  the  return  of  the  boat  the  water  was  found  frozen 
again  in  the  passage,  but  only  half  an  inch  thick.  But  this 
is  a  rare  occurrence :  it  now  took  place  in  a  very  cold  win- 
ter, and  when  the  waters  had  been  unruffled  by  winds  for 
some  days,  or,  as  the  engineer  of  the  boat  remarked,  "  du- 
ring a  calm."  So  great  is  the  depth  of  the  lake,  having 
been  sounded  at  the  depth  of  three  hundred  feet  in  some 
places  (which  is  lower  than  the  surface  of  the  ocean),  that 
only  partial  congelation  can  take  place.  When  the  waters 
stood  at  a  higher  level,  this  would  be  the  case ;  but,  owing 
to  the  moderate  depth  of  the  water  for  several  miles,  a 
greater  quantity  of  ice  and  of  greater  ihickness  would  be 
formed,  which,  being  dashed  up  by  the  winds  and  waves, 
would  form  a  natural  foundation  for  the  deposition  of  sand 
and  gravel,  which  ultimately  produced  the  ridge.  And, 
finally,  the  nearly  direct  line  of  the  ridge  at  nearly  the  same 
distance  from  the  lake  (yet  not  following  the  tortuous  course 
of  the  shore,  and  lying  on  land  so  nearly  of  the  same  level), 
gives  great  probability  that  the  real  formation  of  the  ridge  is 


84  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

now  understood.  It  is  not,  indeed,  a  new  theory  exactly 
but  a  modification  or  expansion  into  a  definite  form  of  one 
that  often  is  advanced  by  those  who  have  lived  upon  the 
ridge,  and  made  it  a  subject  of  careful  examination. 

Note. — Connected  with  the  foregoing  theory,  which  was 
furnished  to  us  by  Professor  Dewey  several  months  ago,  we 
may  here  introduce  some  remarks  by  a  traveller  who  re- 
cently examined  the  ocean  dikes  in  Holland.  It  is  for  the 
reader  to  determine  the  extent  to  which  these  remarks  may 
be  considered  as  strengthening  the  theory  advanced  with  ref- 
erence to  the  formation  of  the  great  dike  or  ridge  along  the 
shore  of  Ontario,  &c.  It  may  be  premised,  however,  that 
the  latter  is  not  barren  like  the  formation  in  Holland.  The 
traveller,  recounting  his  adventures  in  Holland  as  illustrative 
of  some  opinions  which  he  expressed  concerning  certain  ge- 
ological appearances  on  the  western  prairies,  says,  through 
SiHiman's  Journal  : — 

"  Having  entered  Holland  at  its  northern  border,  and  passed 
on  to  the  seaboard,  I  determined  at  some  spot  along  the 
coast  to  examine  the  natural  dikes  thrown  up  by  the  sea,  of 
which  I  had  no  very  definite  idea.  I  had  never  met  with  any 
detailed  account  of  them,  and  supposed  them  to  be  a  strip  of 
sandbank  washed  up  by  the  waves,  eight  or  nine  feet  high 
and  about  twice  as  wide,  on  which  a  person  might  walk  and 
look  directly  down  on  the  sea  on  one  side,  with  the  meadow- 
land  immediately  adjoining  on  the  other. 

"  Soon  after  leaving  Leyden  for  the  Hague,  I  turned  from 
the  thronged  highway,  and,  after  crossing  a  rich  cultivated 
district  of  two  miles  in  width,  found  myself  at  the  edge  of 
the  ocean  dike.  But  it  was  far  different  from  what  I  had 
anticipated.  I  saw,  on  approaching  it,  that  it  was  much  higher 
than  I  had  supposed,  and,  when  I  sprung  up  the  side  of  the 
huofe  bank,  instead  of  having  the  North  Sea  directly  at  my 
feet,  I  saw  before  me  what  seemed  as  if  it  had  been  an  ocean 
of  fluid  sand  (if  I  may  use  so  unphilosophical  a  phrase),  ar- 
rested suddenly  after  a  storm  and  set  at  rest.  Having  en- 
tered upon  it,  I  was  soon  in  as  entire  and  dreary  a  solitude 
as  if  I  had  been  on  the  burning  deserts  of  Africa.  Not  an 
insect  crossed  my  path,  and  I  wandered  on  from  sandhill 
to  sandhill  till  I  grew  weary  of  the  labour.  Only  at  one 
place  was  there  any  sign  of  vegetation.  It  was  at  a  spot 
where,  for  some  cause  or  other,  a  basin  had  been  form- 
ed capable  of  retaining  moisture,  and  in  this  some  grass  and 


GEOLOGICAL   SKETCHES.  85 

a  variety  of  bushes  had  grown  up.  All  the  rest  was  a 
succession  of  sandhills.  I  crossed  this  dike  transversely, 
but  computed  its  direct  breadth  to  be  at  least  two  miles. 
The  hills  of  sand  I  judged  to  be  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  in 
height. 

"  As  I  walked  on,  the  strong  resemblance  between  the 
surface  of  this  place  and  that  of  the  wooded  region  in  the 
'  barrens'  of  our  prairies  struck  me  repeatedly  and  forcibly. 
I  had  here  also  the  commencement  of  a  little  lake  or  prairie, 
and  they  appear  also  to  be  both  composed  of  the  same 
material,  a  pure  sand.  I  had  often,  while  out  in  Indiana, 
been  puzzled  in  attempting  to  account  for  what  I  saw  there, 
and  now  a  theory  flashed  upon  me,  with  which  I  amused 
myself  while  toiling  over  the  sands.  But  I  began  this  letter 
by  saying  that  I  was  only  going  to  state  facts,  not  theories  ; 
and,  indeed,  I  soon  became  glad  to  shorten  my  speculations 
and  make  for  the  nearest  point  of  the  coast,  for  I  found  the 
hills  of  loose  sand  sometimes  terminating  with  a  perpendic- 
ular face,  down  which,  if  I  had  happened  to  stumble,  I  should 
have  brought  a  torrent  of  sand  after  me,  sufficient  to  bring 
my  speculations  and  myself  to  an  untimely  end.  I  was 
really  glad  when  the  North  Sea,  covered  with  white  caps, 
and  studded  with  numberless  sails,  burst  upon  my  sight. 

"  It  is  easy  for  a  person  walking  along  the  shore  to  see 
how  this  broad  belt  of  sandhills  has  been  formed.  The 
coast  is  shoal,  and  the  waves  wash  up  the  light  sand,  which, 
as  soon  as  it  is  dry,  is  caught  up  by  the  wind  and  whirled 
into  the  -piles  which  have  been  just  described. 

"  Abreast  of  the  Hague  is  an  opening  or  cut  through  this 
bank,  apparently  partly  natural  and  partly  artificial.  It  is 
about  fifty  feet  wide,  is  level,  and  planted  with  an  avenue  of 
noble  trees,  and  forms  the  communication  between  this  city 
and  its  little  seaport,  Schefeningen,  if  seaport  that  can  be 
called,  where  port  there  is  none,  and  where  vessels  that 
would  be  safe  must  be  drawn  high  and  dry  upon  the  beach. 

"  I  will  only  add  that,  as  I  came  down  the  banks  of  the 
Rhine,  I  passed  at  Eltenberg  a  very  high  ridge  of  sand,  ex- 
tending, it  appeared  to  me,  across  the  valley  of  that  river. 
After  entering  Holland  I  crossed  also,  just  south  of  Arnheim, 
another  such  a  sandy  ridge  running  from  east  to  west,  but 
much  wider  than  the  former,  being  about  fifteen  miles  across. 
Then  we  came  again  to  low  flat  land,  and,  lastly,  to  the 
sandy  strip  or  dike  at  the  coast.  Query. — May  not  the 
8 


86  SKETCHES    or   ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

shore  of  the  North  Sea  have  been  in  remote  times  at  EUen- 
berg,  and  then  again  near  Arnheim,  and  those  two  behs  thus 
also  have  been  ocean  dikes  ?" 

The  quotation  of  these  remarks  here  will  hardly  be  con- 
sidered irrelevant  by  those  who  are  anywise  interested  in 
examining  the  geological  plienomena  of  the  country  of  the 
lakes,  especially  the  formalion  of  the  ridge  which  runs  past 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  City  of  RocJiester. 

Some  interesting  speculations  on  the  geological  features 
of  the  Ridge-Road,  as  connected  with  the  antiquities  of  the 
country,  from  the  pen  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  are  imbodied  in 
another  article  respecting  that  wonderful  natural  highway. 


TRANSPORTATION    OF    BOULDERS. 

This  subject  is  one  of  considerable  difiiculty  in  the  ap- 
prehension of  the  generahty  of  people.  It  is  often  heard 
with  a  look  of  the  fullest  incredulity,  as  if  the  individual 
would,  if  he  knew  it,  utter  the  language  of  Horace,  Credat 
Jud<Bus  Apclla  !  As  a  fact,  its  possibility  is  often  denied  ; 
and  yet,  as  a  fact,  it  has  long  received  the  fullest  credence  of 
the  whole  class  of  geologists,  including  a  host  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished philosophers  of  all  religious  opinions  for  more  than 
half  a  century.  The  reason  is,  that  the  appearances  lead  to 
this  conclusion.  It  is  only  want  of  knowledge  of  facts  that 
continues  a  momentary  doubt  in  any  minds.  To  such,  the 
evidence  of  the  transference  of  rocks  of  no  ordinary  size,  and 
in  abundance,  from  the  Alps  to  the  Jura  Mountains,  and 
about  the  Lake  of  Geneva,  so  fully  shown  by  geologists, 
needs  only  to  be  known.  To  this  might  be  added  the  boul- 
ders of  graywacke  borne  from  the  eastern  part  of  this  state 
into  Massachusetts  over  the  separating  range  of  mountains, 
and  a  multitude  of  others  in  our  country  and  Europe,  un- 
doubted by  all  who  have  examined  them. 

Boulders  of  the  primitive  rocks  lie  scattered  over  this 
state  and  far  to  the  west.  No  layers  of  rocks  like  them  are 
found  for  a  great  distance.  The  supposition  of  their  for- 
mation in  the  places  where  they  lie  cannot  find  any  support. 
They  must  have  been  transported  from  distant  regions. 
Their  rounded  and  worn  form  shows  the  attrition  of  the 
tumbling  waters  and  rolling  sands.  How  could  they  have 
been  removed?  'I'hough  the  difficulties  of  the  subject  may 
not  be  all  removed,  and   the  action  of  a  cause  operating 


GEOLOGICAL    SKETCHES.  87 

with  more  power  than  we  are  familiar  with  may  be  judged 
necessary,  yet  the  following  considerations  may  lessen 
these  difficulties  in  some  degree.  Currents  of  water  act 
with  great  power.  The  flood  of  a  river  has  moved  along 
large  rocks  of  some  tons  weight  many  rods  in  a  day. 
Deeper  currents  would  have  a  greater  effect.  Ice  occasion- 
ally transports  masses  of  stone  down  the  streams.  Again, 
the  specific  gravity  of  these  rooks  is  little  more  than  twice 
that  of  water.  Nearly  half  the  weight  of  rocks  would  be 
supported  by  the  upward  pressure  of  fresh  water,  and  more 
still  by  that  of  salt  water — giving  great  advantage  to  the 
action  of  powerful  currents.  Here  is  a  mighty  power,  ade- 
quate to  the  production  at  least  of  great  effects.  The  power 
of  water  and  ice  operating  on  a  great  scale  would  seem  to 
be  amply  sufficient  for  the  transference  of  these  boulders. 
A  large  boulder  of  granite  has  been  mentioned.  Some  as 
large,  and  one  a  little  larger,  are  in  the  east  part  of  Ogden, 
seven  miles  west  of  Rochester.  Near  the  same  place  is  a 
large  boulder  of  saccharine  limestone,  the  only  consider- 
able mass  of  this  rock  which  has  occurred  to  me.  More 
than  one  hundred  feet  up  the  Pinnacle,  a  little  southeast  of 
Rochester,  lies  a  boulder  of  graywacke  of  great  size,  ten 
and  a  half  feet  long,  ten  feet  wide,  and  three  to  four  feet 
deep. 

RETROCKSSION    OF    THE    FALLS. 

Very  little  change  in  the  Falls  of  the  Genesee  at  Roches- 
ter has  been  observed  since  the  settlement  of  the  place. 
The  ferriferous  sandrock  over  which  the  water  of  the  upper 
step  of  the  Lower  Falls  is  precipitated,  is  one  of  the  hardest 
rocks  of  this  stratum.  It  is  certainly  as  hard  as  the  graywacke 
limestone  of  the  Middle  or  Upper  Falls.  The  gray  sand- 
stone over  which  passes  the  water  of  the  Lower  Falls  at  the 
last  pitch,  is  not  so  hard,  perhaps,  as  the  rock  at  the  other 
falls  :  still,  it  seems  to  be  very  slowly  worn  away.  The 
suggestion  in  the  Geological  Report  of  1836  (page  170) 
made  to  the  Legislature  of  the  State,  that  the  three  falls  of 
the  Genesee  at  Rochester  will  ultimately  become  one,  may 
possibly  be  found  true  ;  but  the  union  must  unquestionably 
be  placed  at  so  remote  a  period,  that  men  of  business  and 
enterprise  need  not  make  its  probability  an  element  in  their 
plans  or  calculations  for  hundreds  of  generations.  To  those 
who  believe  that  the  Genesee  has  cut  its  way  for  so  many 
miles  through  the  rocks  in  a  nearly  perpendicular  chasm,  it 


88  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTEB,    ETC. 

would  appear  that  thousands  of  years  must  roll  away  before 
the  junction  of  the  Lower  and  Upper  Falls  will  occur, 

CARBONATE    OF    SODA. 

This  salt  effloresces  on  the  walls  of  the  Genesee,  about 
midway  between  the  falls,  under  the  high  bluff  and  over- 
hanging roclis  of  the  east  bank,  in  Rochester.  It  exudes 
from  the  rocks  a  few  feet  above  the  layers  of  pearly  terre- 
bratulites  in  the  marly  slate,  and  appears  for  several  rods, 
where  the  jutting  rocks  protect  it  from  being  washed  away 
by  rains.  This  salt  has  much  interest,  as  it  directs  us  to 
one  source  of  the  common  salt  in  our  springs.  The  waters 
abound  with  muriate  of  lime,  which  would  be  decomposed 
by  the  carbonate  of  soda,  and  common  salt  be  formed.  The 
efflorescence  occurs  in  greatest  abundance  in  the  rocks  just 
below  the  limestone  in  which  the  irilobites  are  found  most 
plentifully. 

MINERAL    SPRINGS. 

Besides  those  mentioned  in  the  account  of  the  rocks,  these 
springs  occur  with  frequency. 

The  Monroe  Spring,  about  five  miles  east  of  the  city, 
owned  by  Mr.  Tousey,  is  well  known.  It  is  strongly  im- 
pregnated with  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  and  seems  to  possess 
few  other  mineral  properties.  In  the  town  of  Ogden,  eleven 
miles  west  of  Rochester,  is  another  hepatic  water,  very 
strongly  impregnated  with  the  same  gas.  It  was  found  in 
deepening  a  well.  The  blasting  was  continued  in  the  rock 
of  calciferous  slate  or  graywacke  limestone.  In  a  few  hours 
the  water  becomes  milky  from  the  deposition  of  sulphur. 

About  a  mile  west  of  the  city  is  a  similar  water,  used  also 
as  a  bathing  establishment.  Often,  in  that  direction,  hepatic 
springs  occur.  The  well-known  Bathing-House  in  Buffalo- 
street,  Rochester,  is  supplied  from  one  of  these  springs. 
The  sulphuretted  gas  has  nearly  disappeared  from  it,  from 
some  change  in  the  direction  of  the  waters  beneath  the  sur- 
face. It  is  often  resorted  to  for  the  luxury  of  bathing.  But 
the  principal  mineral  water  in  the  city  flows  from  the 

LONGMOOR    SPRING. 

The  Messrs.  Longmoor,  to  obtain  a  supply  of  water  for 
their  brewery,  bored  nearly  200  feet.  They  began  in  the 
graywacke  limestone  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Genesee,  about 
fifteen  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Middle  Falls,  and  extend- 


GEOLOGICAL   SKETCHES.  89 

ed  the  boring  through  the  strata  into  the  sandstone.  They 
obtained  water  strongly  impregnated  with  sulphuretted  hy- 
drogen, and  containing  considerable  common  salt,  and  some 
Epsom  salt  and  soda.  These  substances  give  to  the  water 
a  pleasant  taste,  lively  and  pungent.  The  water  is  drank 
for  health  and  pleasure.  It  is  cool  also,  and  in  the  warm 
season  is  a  real  luxury  to  those  who  relish  its  taste.  In  April 
its  temperature  was  48°,  while  that  of  the  river  was  41° 
in  June,     "     "     49|°,  "  "  67° 

in  July,      "     "     50°,  "  "  67° ; 

Aug.  2,      "     »     52°,  "  "  71° 

Nov.  30,    "     "     5lj\°,  "  "  45°. 

ELEVATIONS. 

The  following  table  of  elevations  of  different  points  may 
be  interesting  in  connexion  with  the  foregoing  statements. 
The  facts  have  been  taken  from  the  surveys  of  the  proposed 
routes  of  canals  and  railroads.  Some  of  them  have  been 
obligingly  communicated  from  the  unpublished  notes  of  the 
engineers — some  have  been  ascertained  specially  for  this 
work. 

Feet. 

^    Lake  Erie  is  above  the  level  of  tide  water,  .      .     .  570 

^    The  top  of  Niagara  Falls  is  below  Lake  Erie,       .  66 

■     The  bottom  of  Niagara  Falls  is  below  Lake  Erie,  226 

Descent  from  the  Falls  to  Lewiston, 104 

'■    Lake  Ontario  below  Lake  Erie, 330 

Canal  at  Rochester  is  below  Lake  Erie,        ...  64 
Surface    of  the  Canal  at  Rochester  is  above  the 
rock  over  which  the  waters  roll  at  the  Mid- 

?'■          die  Falls, 31 

Middle  Falls  (96  feet)  at  Rochester  are  below  the 

Falls  of  Niagara, 23 

Top  of  the  Rapids,  H  miles  south  of  Rochester, 

above  Erie  Canal  at  Rochester,        ....  2 
The  summit  of  the  Rapids  and  Niagara  Falls  are 

on  a  level. 

Erie  Canal  at  Rochester  is  above  Lake  Ontario,     .  266 

Middle  Falls  at  Rochester  above  Lake  Ontario,      .  235 

Middle  Falls  at  Rochester  pitch  perpendicular,       .  96 

Upper  step  of  the  Lower  Falls, 25 

Second  step  of  the  Lower  Falls, 84 

Summit   level  of  Genesee  Valley  Canal  is  11^ 

Jrvo       . 8* ^       . 


90  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

miles  long,  and  above  Erie  Canal  at  Roches-  peet. 

ter, 1057 

Summit  level  of  Genesee  Canal  above  Lake  Erie,  993 
Allegany  River  at  Olean,  above  Canal  at  Roches- 
ter,         978 

Ohio  River  at  Pittsburgh  is  below  Olean,  from 

Olean  to  Pittsburgh  being  280  miles,     .     .     .  700 

Ohio  River  above  canal  at  Rochester,      ....  278 

Ohio  River  above  Lake  Erie, 214 

Coalbed  at  Pittsburgh  above  Ohio  River,      .     .     .  329 

"             "               above  Lake  Erie,      .     .     .  543 

«<             "               above  Canal  at  Rochester,  617 

«             "               above  Lake  Ontario,      .     .  883 

Ohio  River  at  Little  Beaver  River,  near  the  west 

line  of  Pennsylvania,  is  above  Lake  Erie,      .  75 

Coalbed  near  Little  Beaver  River  above  Lake  Erie,  412 

Elevation  of  the  hill  above  the  coal, 80 

Elevation  of  this  coal  above  the  Canal  at  Rochester,  476 
Height   of  the   red  sandstone  above  the  level  of 
Genesee   River   at   the    Ontario   Steamboat- 
Landing,  in  the  north  part  of  Rochester,    .     .  120 
Thickness  of  gray  sandstone  or  grayband,    ...  4 

"             ferriferous  slate, 23 

"              argillaceous  iron  ore, 1 

"              ferriferous  sandrock, 10 

"  calciferous  slate  to  the  rock  of  pente- 

merus, 3 

*'  "  "  to  the  next  layer  of 

argillaceous  slate, 3 

"  argillaceous  slate  to  the  layers  of  fine 

shells, 15 

"  whole  thickness  of  this  argillaceous 

slate, 24 

♦'  calciferous   slate   to   top   of  Middle 

Falls, 112 

"               "             "            to  level  of  Rapids,  33 
Height  of  east  bank  of  Genesee,  50  rods  below 

Lower  Falls, 215 

Thickness  of  mountain  limestone,  from  the  gray 
sandstone  at  Lower  Falls  to  the  summit  of  the 

Rapids,  without  allowing  for  the  dip,  is     .     .  184 

The  dip  for  this  distance  about 200 

Real  thickness  of  the  mountain  limestone  to  the 

Rapids,  about 384 


MEDICAL  TOPOGRAPHY,  &c. 


The  influence  which  the  improvement  of  the  country  has 
exerted  upon  the  health  of  the  people  is  remarkably  exem- 
plified in  the  history  of  Western  New- York.  The  diseases 
of  the  "  Genesee  country"  have  been  strikingly  modified  or 
almost  wholly  changed  in  some  respects  within  the  last 
quarter  century.  So  great  has  been  the  change,  that  some 
persons  remote  from  the  scene  may  be  inclined  to  doubt  the 
existence  of  the  phenomena,  unless  presented  with  conclu- 
sive proofs. 

A  brief  retrospect  of  the  maladies  of  the  population,  from 
the  period  of  the  first  settlements  by  the  White  Man,  may  be 
appropriately  inserted  here,  for  the  convenience  of  reference, 
and  for  the  illustration  which  it  abundantly  furnishes  of  the 
foregoing  assertions.  In  quoting  the  testimony  of  Doctors 
Coventry  and  Ludlow — both  of  whom  were  formerly  resi- 
dents of  Geneva,  though  the  first-named  has  long  resided 
in  Utica,  and  the  latter  in  New- York — reference  is  made  to 
the  discourse  delivered  by  Dr.  C.  before  the  Oneida  Medical 
Society,  of  which  he  was  president,  in  1823,  and  to  the  Es- 
say on  the  Genesee  Country  published  by  Dr.  L.  in  the 
New- York  Medical  and  Physical  Journal  during  the  same 
year. 

"  On  the  7th  of  June,  1792,"  says  Dr.  Coventry,  "  I  ar- 
rived with  my  family  at  my  former  residence  near  the  outlet 
of  Seneca  Lake,  opposite  to  the  village  of  Geneva.  *  *  * 
The  seasons  of  1793  and  1794  were  very  sickly  in  the  Gen- 
esee country  in  proportion  to  the  population.  There  was 
a  much  greater  number  of  cases  of  fever  than  in  the  cities, 
although  they  were  not  so  fatal  in  their  termination.  I  re- 
member a  time  when,  in  the  village  of  Geneva,  there  was 
but  a  single  individual  who  could  leave  her  bed,  and  for  sev- 
eral days  she  alone,  like  a  ministering  angel,  went  from 
house  to  house,  bestowing  on  the  sick  the  greatest  of  all 
boons— a  drink  of  cold  water.     During  the  season  last  men- 


92  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

tioned,  dysenteries  occasionally  appeared,  preceding  or  fol- 
lowing, and  sometimes  aliernating  with  the  fever.  In  1795 
no  rain  fell  either  in  June  or  July — the  waters  in  the  lakes 
lowered  more  than  a  fool — every  little  inlet  became  a  seat 
of  putrefaction — the  heavens  seemed  on  fire,  the  earth 
scorched,  and  the  air  saturated  with  pestilence — the  hogs 
were  found  dead  in  tlie  woods,  the  flies  swelled  and  turned 
white,  and  lay  in  handfuls  on  the  floors  of  our  rooms.  On 
the  18th  of  August  1  was  called  to  visit  Judge  P.  at  Aurora, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Cayuga,  whose  house,  I  believe,  was 
the  first  one  that  had  been  built  on  the  Military  Tract :  one 
apartment  contained  the  corpse  of  his  wife,  who  had  expired 
a  few  hours  before  my  arrival,  with  every  symptom  attend- 
ant on  malignant  or  yellow  fever  ;  in  another  apartment  the 
judge  and  two  children  lay  with  very  threatening  symptoms. 
While  attending  here  on  the  night  of  the  22d,  I  heard  the 
pleasant  sound  of  thunder,  and  soon  after  the  more  delight- 
ful noise  of  the  rain  pattering  on  the  roof,  with  which  our 
ears  had  not  been  regaled  for  the  last  two  months.  A  change 
of  at  least  twenty  degrees  of  temperature  followed,  together 
with  a  copious  fall  of  water.  The  patients  labouring  under 
fever  seemed  to  be  immediately  benefited,  and  the  new 
cases  decreased.  But  dysentery  soon  made  its  appearance 
in  the  most  appalling  and  fatal  form — occasioned,  without 
doubt,  by  this  sudden  change  of  temperature,  causing  a 
checked  perspiration  in  persons  fully  prepared.  On  my  re- 
turn I  found  that  three  persons  had  died  of  dysentery  on  the 
preceding  day  in  the  village  of  Geneva,  and  was  informed 
that  several  others  lay  at  the  point  of  death.  *  *  *  In  the 
summer  of  1796  I  settled  in  Utica.  In  the  autumn  of  that 
year  dysentery  was  very  prevalent,  and,  as  I  was  informed, 
proved  fatal  in  many  instances  on  the  north  side  of  the  river 
Mohawk.  In  the  extent  of  four  miles  along  a  road  at  that 
time  thinly  inhabited,  I  was  told  that  twenty-four  deaths  had 
taken  place  from  dysentery.  Although  I  had  lived  several 
years  in  Glasgow,  accounted  the  second  city  in  point  of  pop- 
ulation in  the  British  dominions,  yet  neither  there  nor  while 
attending  the  Edinburgh  hospitals,  where  three  or  four  hun- 
dred persons  are  annually  admitted,  had  I,  in  public  or  pri- 
vate practice,  an  opportunity  of  seeing  a  single  case  of  dys- 
entery, nor  was  I  more  fortunate  as  to  this  during  a  resi- 
dence of  five  or  six  years  on  the  Hudson  river,  previous  to 
my  removal  into  the  western  part  of  the  State  of  New-York." 


MEDICAL   TOPOGRAPHY,    ETC.  98 

"  Genesee  is  an  Indian  term  signifying  pleasant  valley, 
given  to  the  country  near  the  river  of  the  same  name  : 
its  bounds  are  not  very  clearly  defined,  being  sometimes  ex- 
tended to  all  that  part  of  the  State  of  New- York  lying  west 
of  Utica,  but  more  generally  restricted  to  that  portion  west 
of  a  meridian  passing  through  the  northwest  corner  of 
Seneca  Lake.  The  country  lying  west  of  Utica  is,  in  its 
general  character  and  most  prominent  features,  so  much 
identified  as  to  admit  of  being  taken  under  one  review,  and 
therefore  the  whole  will  be  considered  under  the  following 
brief  notice,"  says  Dr.  Ludlow,  in  his  essay  on  the  diseases 
of  the  Genesee  country. 

"The  settlement  of  this  section  of  the  State  of  New- 
York,"  he  continues,  "began  in  1791,  and  was  principally 
completed  in  1804  [but  the  settlement  of  Rochester  was  not 
commenced  till  1812].  For  the  few  first  years,  the  settlers 
were  scattered  over  such  an  extent  of  country,  that  an  at- 
tempt to  characterize  the  prevalent  diseases  would  be  fruit- 
less. I  have  therefore  commenced  at  a  period  when  they 
had  developed  themselves  sufficiently  to  attract  the  notice  of 
the  medical  practitioner.  The  summer  of  1801  was  warm, 
with  frequent  showers  ;  the  days  were  excessively  hot,  but 
the  nights  very  chilly.  In  September  and  October  there 
was  less  rain  ;  the  days  were  mild  and  pleasant,  but  the 
nights  continued  cool.  The  diseases  of  the  spring  and  sum- 
mer months  were  principally  intermittent  fevers,  which  pre- 
vailed throughout  the  country  ;  they  were  of  the  tertian  type, 
and  frequently  complicated  with  visceral  obstructions,  and 
attended  with  violent  inflammatory  action :  none  were  ex- 
empt from  them  except  those  who  had  undergone  many  pre- 
vious attacks,  without  having  taken  any  measures  to  inter- 
rupt their  course.  A  strong  prejudice  existing  against  all 
remedies  which  check  the  paroxysms  :  the  consequence  of 
this  was,  that  the  disease  laid  the  foundation  of  many  in- 
curable chronic  affections. 

"  Peruvian  bark  was  then  rarely  used  ;  though,  when 
properly  employed,  generally  successful.  It  was  given 
without  any  previous  depletion,  even  in  cases  where  visceral 
obstruction  existed  ;  it  is,  therefore,  not  extraordinary  that 
doubts  of  its  efficacy  should  have  arisen. 

"  In  September  and  October,  remittents  of  a  mild  form  ap- 
peared, which  continued  through  November,  growing  more 
severe  as  the  season  advanced.     For  the  first  two  or  three 


Wk  SKETCHES    OP    nOCHESTER,  ETC. 

paroxysms,  it  was  difficult  to  distinguish  intormittents  from 
remittents:  the  patient  was  attacked  with  languor,  pain  in 
the  head  and  back,  and  alternate  fits  of  heat  and  cold.  These 
symptoms  lasted  four  or  five  days,  about  which  time  a  remis- 
sion commonly  took  place,  often  without  the  aid  of  medicine. 
Intermittenls  and  remittents  often  occurred  in  the  same  fam- 
ily, and  required  similar  treatment ;  an  obstinate  case  of  the 
former  being  more  dreaded  than  a  mild  case  of  the  latter. 
Venesection,  an  emetic,  and  cathartic,  followed  by  a  few 
doses  of  bark,  usually  subdued  the  disease  by  the  fifth  or 
ninth  day.  Occasionally,  though  rarely,  it  was  more  violent, 
the  patient  being  attacked  with  a  severe  cold  fit,  violent  pain 
in  the  head  and  back,  delirium,  full  hard  pulse,  increased 
heat,  and  difficult  breathing.  These  cases,  however,  were 
seldom  fatal,  when  depletion,  according  to  the  exigencies  of 
the  case,  was  premised.  When  left  to  nature,  the  symptoms 
became  typhoid,  and  a  recovery  of  the  patient  uncertain. 
There  were  also  a  few  cases  of  dysentery,  but  not  of  a  ma- 
lignant character.  The  smallpox  occasionally  appeared, 
but  was  seldom  fatal.  The  vaccine  virus  had  been  intro- 
duced, but  was  considered  more  dangerous  than  the  former. 
All  fevers,  except  fever  and  ague,  were  called  by  the  people 
Lake  or  Genesee  fevers.  After  November,  the  country  was 
remarkably  healthy,  and  continued  so  during  the  winter. 

"  During  the  summer  and  fall  of  1802,  the  diseases  were 
similar  to  those  of  the  preceding  year  :  the  winter  was  mild 
and  healthy. 

"  1803.  As  the  country  became  more  settled,  new  dis- 
eases appeared,  and  tlie  preceding  ones  did  not  retain  their 
former  characteristics.  Intermittents,  from  being  simple, 
became  complicated  with  other  diseases,  so  as  to  render  it 
difficult  to  determine  their  nosological  character. 

"  In  each  succeeding  year,  it  became  apparent  that  inter- 
mittents were  declining,  and  continued  fevers  becoming 
more  prevalent.  Diarrhcea  was  the  prevailing  disease  of 
the  spring.  During  the  summer,  there  were  many  cases  of 
dysentery;  the  symptoms  were,  however,  mild,  and  none 
terminated  fatally.  In  autumn,  remittents  and  continued 
fevers  were  general,  but  yielded  readily  to  the  usual  rem- 
edies. 

"  1804.  The  summer  of  this  year  was  but  moderately 
warm ;  the  winter  was  intensely  cold  for  an  unusual  length 
of  time.     A  greater  quantity  of  snow  fell,  and  laid  longer 


MEDICAL   TOPOGRAPHY,    ETC.  95 

than  had  ever  been  known.  Fevers,  during  the  summer  of 
this  year,  were  less  frequent  than  the  last.  The  new  settle- 
ments, where  intermittents  and  remittents  had  prevailed  the 
preceding  season,  were  remarkably  healthy.  In  the  old 
settlements,  during  the  fall,  there  were  many  cases  of  re- 
mittent. The  winter  diseases  were  purely  inflammatory, 
which  is  generally  the  case  in  this  country.  Cynanche  ton- 
sillaris, pleuritis,  and  enteritis,  were  prevalent,  making  the 
season  more  than  usually  unhealthy. 

"  1805.  From  the  equable  temperature  of  the  last  year, 
it  was  expected  that  the  present  warm  season  would  be  less 
sickly  than  those  which  succeeded  open  winters,  but  it  was 
otherwise.  The  spring  commenced  with  fevers  of  an  in- 
flammatory nature,  which  continued  until  cold  weather. 
The  intermittents  were  complicated  with  enlargements  of 
the  liver  and  spleen  ;  in  most  instances,  these  were  sequels 
of  the  fever ;  but  in  others,  these  organs  were  primarily 
affected. 

"  About  this  time  mercury  came  into  fashion ;  and  in  all 
forms  of  fever,  whether  intermittent,  remittent,  or  typhus, 
without  reference  to  the  diathesis,  the  patients  were  indis- 
criminately salivated.  In  those  cases  where  the  liver  was 
diseased,  it  proved  serviceable ;  but  to  its  abuse  numbers 
were  sacrificed. 

"  1806.  There  was  much  rain  and  warm  weather  during 
this  summer.  The  diseases,  resembled  those  of  the  last 
year,  except  at  Palmyra,  where  a  fever  of  a  typhoid  charac- 
ter prevailed.  It  commenced  in  December ;  the  symptoms 
were,  great  prostration  at  the  commencement  of  the  disease, 
succeeded  by  coma,  subsultus  tendinum,  and  hiccough. 
Dissolution  generally  took  place  in  three  or  four  days,  unless 
the  system  was  supported  by  powerful  tonics.  It  proved 
fatal  to  many.  Whoopingcough  was  also  epidemic  through- 
out the  country. 

"  1807.  The  spring  was  ushered  in  by  wet  weather, 
which  continued  during  the  summer  with  alternations  of 
great  heat.  The  fevers  of  this  year,  during  the  summer 
months,  were  purely  inflammatory.  In  September  and  Oc- 
tober, typhoid  symptoms  supervened  early  in  the  disease. 
The  ciiaracter  of  the  fever  varied,  however,  with  its  local- 
ities. Near  streams,  and  where  the  current  had  been  ob- 
structed by  dams,  its  symptoms  were  strongly  marked  on  the 
attack  ;  whereas  in  high  grounds,  its  approach  was  insidi- 


96  SKETCHES   OP   ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

ous,  the  patient  feeling  but  slightly  indisposed  for  some  days 
previously  ;  after  this  the  disease  suddenly  developed  itself. 
These  cases  were  more  unmanageable  than  when  the  attack 
was  sudden.  In  July  and  August  a  severe  ophthalmia  pre- 
vailed. In  September  influenza  was  epidemic  throughout 
the  country:  few  escaped  an  attack,  as  neither  previous  nor 
existing  diseases  were  preventives.  It  was  attended  with 
acute  pain  in  the  head  and  eyes,  and  sometimes  terminated 
in  abscesses  in  the  frontal  sinuses.  It  proved  fatal  to  many 
elderly  people,  and  soon  terminated  the  sufferings  of  those 
who  were  in  the  advanced  stage  of  phthisis  pulmonalis,  of 
which  it  became  the  exciting  cause  where  a  predisposition 
existed.  It  also  frequently  terminated  in  typhus.  The 
treatment  generally  pursued  was  depletion,  antimonials,  and 
mucilaginous  drinks.  Measles,  whoopingcough,  and  chick- 
enpox  were  prevalent  during  the  winter. 

"  1808.  This  season  much  resembled  the  last.  Fevers 
of  a  continued  type  prevailed  during  the  summer,  but  gen- 
erally terminated  favourably.  In  the  month  of  January  a 
typhoid  fever  appeared,  which  continued  till  May.  It  was 
confined  to  particular  sections  of  the  country,  and  as  fre- 
quently originated  in  situations  proverbially  healthy  as  in 
those  of  a  different  character.  In  many  instances  it  ter- 
minated fatally.  Different  plans  of  treatment  were  pursued, 
of  which  none  proved  uniformly  successful.  Those  who 
hitherto  considered  mercury  as  infallible  in  all  fevers  were 
now  compelled  to  acknowledge  their  error.  Some  adminis- 
tered bark  early  in  the  disease  ;  others  wine,  brandy,  and 
opium.  The  most  successful  treatment  was  early,  though 
careful  depletion,  followed  by  stimuli,  judiciously  adminis- 
tered. The  sudden  prostration  of  strength,  the  small  fre- 
quent pulse,  brown  tongue,  and  cold  extremities,  all  indicated 
a  disease  of  a  different  character  from  the  inflammatory 
fevers  which  formerly  prevailed. 

"  1809.  The  summer  was  unusually  cool,  and  the  fevers 
of  this  season  were  of  a  less  inflammatory  character  than 
common,  readily  assuming  the  form  of  a  mild  typhus.  In- 
lermittents  seldom  appeared. 

"  1810.  The  spring  commenced  early,  and  the  weather 
was  less  variable  than  the  last  season.  The  summer  was 
hot  and  dry,  and  during  the  winter  there  was  much  snow 
and  cold  weather.  The  diseases  of  this  year  were  similar 
to  those  of  the  last,  though  less  numerous. 


MEDICAL  TOPOGRAPHY,    ETC.  97 

"1811.  Bilious  fevers,  with  visceral  obstructions,  pre- 
vailed iluring  this  summer,  which  was  extremely  warm  and 
dry.  There  were  also  many  cases  of  diarrhcEa.  The  winter 
months  were  excessively  cold,  with  alternations  of  pleasant 
days.  Pneumonia,  measles,  and  rheumatism  were  the  pre- 
vailing affections. 

"  1812.  In  March  of  this  year  there  were  frequent  cases 
of  pleuriiis,  with  great  diversity  of  symptoms.  In  some 
cases,  copious  bleeding  was  required,  with  a  strict  antiphlo- 
gistic regimen,  while  in  others  an  opposite  course  of  treat- 
ment was  indicated.  The  weather  had  been  variable,  with 
southerly  winds.  In  April  and  May  were  noticed  for  the 
first  time  a  few  sporadic  cases  of  pneumonia  typhoides,  a 
disease  until  then  unknown,  and  which,  during  the  ensuing 
winter,  became  the  most  formidable  epidemic  which  had 
ever  appeared  in  this  country.  In  the  first  cases,  the  local 
aftection  was  principally  confined  to  the  throat,  and  these 
were  more  fatal  than  those  which  succeeded  them,  in  which 
the  lungs  and  brain  were  principally  affected.  The  summer 
months  were  extremely  warm  and  dry.  Diarrhcea,  dysen- 
tery, and  the  usual  fevers  were  prevalent,  without  anything 
remarkable  in  their  symptoms.  During  the  autumn,  pneu- 
monia typhoides  again  prevailed  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  particularly  among  the  soldiers  at  Lewiston,  oa 
the  Niagara  frontier. 

"1813.  In  January  and  February  the  weather  was  very 
variable,  being  alternately  cold  and  humid  ;  the  epidemic 
pneumonia  typhoides  now  became  general,  and  caused  great 
mortality.  There  were  two  forms  of  the  disease :  sthenic 
and  asthenic ;  the  greater  portion,  however,  were  of  the  lat- 
ter kind.  It  differed  from  preceding  epidemics  by  its  local 
determination  to  different  parts  of  the  system,  particularly 
the  brain  and  lungs.  Its  varied  symptoms  in  different  sub- 
jects gave  it  a  plurality  of  names,  and  occasioned  a  diver- 
sity of  treatment.  Some  were  attacked  with  violence,  and 
died  in  a  few  hours,  while  others  were  but  slightly  indis- 
posed. The  disease  was  ushered  in  with  severe  cold  chills, 
continuing  several  hours  ;  pain  in  the  head,  back,  loins,  and 
side  ;  cough,  with  expectoration  of  a  frothy  mucus,  tinged 
with  blood.  The  respiration  was  difficult,  the  extremities 
cold,  and  the  pulse  exhibited  every  variety  ;  sometimes 
natural,  again  very  slow  or  quick  ;  but,  in  most  instances, 
the  artery  was  weak  and  easily  compressible.  The  morbid 
9 


98  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

action  was  frequently  translated  from  one  part  of  the  system 
to  the  other  ;  thus,  in  one  case,  the  patient  was  seized  with 
a  violent  pain  in  the  head,  which  continued  several  hours  ; 
on  the  subsidence  of  this,  his  legs  became  painful,  and  ex- 
tensive inflammation  and  suppuration  supervened.  In  other 
instances,  the  diseased  action  suddenly  left  the  lungs,  and 
inflammation  and  suppuration  of  the  upper  extremities  fol- 
lowed. Such  a  multiplicity  of  symptoms  occasioned  a 
great  contrariety  of  treatment :  some  depleted,  others  stim- 
ulated. On  its  first  appearance,  large  bleedings  were  em- 
ployed, but  with  temporary  relief;  in  most  cases  the  patient 
sinking  on  the  third  or  fourth  day.  In  other  sections  of 
the  country,  this  mode  of  treatment  was  more  successful. 
Those  who  were  opposed  to  the  lancet  trusted  exclusively 
to  opium,  a  practice  equally  fatal.  The  most  successful 
treatment  was  restoring  warmth  during  the  cold  stage  by 
diff'erent  stimuli,  followed  by  moderate  bleeding  and  evacu- 
ants ;  the  skin  being  kept  free,  and  blisters  and  tonics  early 
employed.  The  epidemic  ceased  on  the  return  of  warm 
weather.  In  the  spring  there  were  a  few  cases  of  pleurisy. 
The  summer  was  unusually  healthy. 

"  In  the  winter  of  1814,  the  destructive  disease  of  the  pre- 
ceding year  returned,  though  it  was  not  so  malignant  as  it 
had  proved  during  the  last  season.  Depleting  remedies 
generally  produced  a  favourable  termination.  In  the  spring 
it  wholly  disappeared.  There  were  fewer  fevers  this  sum- 
mer than  usual.  In  the  autumn,  catarrhal  complaints  were 
very  prevalent. 

"  1815.  The  fevers  of  this  year  were  generally  inflam- 
matory, and  easily  subdued.  In  July,  dysentery  prevailed 
as  an  epidemic,  but  admitted  of  free  depletion.  In  some 
cases  it  was  accompanied  by  external  inflammation  and 
tumefaction  of  the  face,  neck,  and  joints  ;  in  others  the  throat 
and  fauces  were  aff'ected  ;  in  some  few  instances  the  inflam- 
mation of  the  face  terminated  in  gangrene.  The  fatality  was 
greatest  among  children. 

"  1816.  Every  part  of  the  country  was  this  year  unusu- 
ally free  from  fevers.  Intermittents  rarely  occurred,  except 
in  new  settlements,  and  continued  fevers  were  very  mild. 

'•  1817.     There  was  nothing  remarkable  in  the  diseases 
of  this  year,  except  in  September  and  October,  when  a  fever 
with  typhoid  symptoms  prevailed  to  a  limited  extent. 
'    "1818.     In  December,  a  fever  similar  to  the  last  ap- 


MEDICAL   TOPOGRAPHY,   ETC.  99 

peared.  In  most  cases  typhoid  symptoms  supervened  early 
in  the  disease,  requiring  the  free  use  of  tonics,  which  treat- 
ment was  generally  successful. 

"  1819,  20.  Both  of  these  years  were  generally  free 
from  fevers  ;  but  rheumatism,  pleurisy,  measles,  whooping- 
cough,  and  dysentery  were  constant  visiters. 

"  1821.  Intermittents  and  remittents  were  more  frequent 
this  year,  and  were  particularly  malignant  in  different  parts 
of  the  country.  At  Syracuse,  a  small  village  near  Salina, 
many  died  suddenly.  Whoopingcough,  cynanche  trachealis, 
cholera  infantum,  and  measles  also  prevailed. 

"  1822.  In  the  winter  and  spring  of  this  year,  the  usual 
inflammatory  diseases  prevailed.  During  the  summer,  dys- 
entery was  epidemic,  and  many  deaths  occurred.  Bowel 
complaints  proved  fatal  to  a  number  of  children.  Intermit- 
tents were  more  prevalent  in  old  settlements  than  they  had 
been  for  ten  years  previous  ;  also  remittents,  with  unusual 
determination  to  the  head.  In  some  instances  they  were 
complicated  with  dysentery,  the  patient  discharging  large 
quantities  of  blood  before  death.  At  Salina  and  its  vicinity, 
there  were  a  few  cases  of  a  highly  malignant  character. 

"Calculous  diseases  are  almost  unknown,  which  is  in  op- 
position to  the  prevailing  opinion  that  they  are  peculiar  to 
limestone  countries.  Goitre,  or  chronic  inflammation  of  the 
thyroid  gland,  is  a  very  common  appearance — [now,  1837, 
the  reverse].  I  have  hitherto  purposely  avoided  mentioning 
phthisis  pulmonalis  among  the  diseases  of  the  country,  with 
a  view  of  giving  it  a  particular  notice. 

"  Since  the  time  of  Hippocrates,  it  has  been  a  received 
opinion  that  intermittents  have  great  agency  in  the  removal 
of  other  diseases.  Boerhaave,  in  speaking  of  them,  ob- 
serves, '  that  unless  they  are  malignant,  they  dispose  a  body 
to  longevity,  and  purge  it  from  inveterate  disorders.'  By 
the  moderns  this  idea  has  been  carried  still  further,  and  con- 
sumptions have  been  said  to  be  almost  unknown  in  those 
countries  where  intermittents  prevail  :  the  fens  of  Lincoln- 
shire and  the  inland  parts  of  Holland  have  been  cited  as 
examples.  To  a  certain  extent,  this  is  the  case  in  the  Gen- 
esee country — pulmonary  affections,  as  idiopathic  diseases, 
being  rarely  met  with  [even  as  recently  as  1823,]  although 
they  are  frequently  the  sequela?  of  protracted  intermittents. 
This  has  been  accounted  for  on  the  supposition  that  the  in> 


::x      :^- 


WQ  SKETCHES   OP    ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

pure  air  of  marshes  is  particularly  favourable  to  the  lungs  of 
those  who  are  predisposed  to  these  complaints. 

"  In  the  management  of  consumption,  the  main  object  is 
to  translate  the  disease  from  the  lungs,  and  to  sustain  it  per- 
manently in  some  other  part  without  injury  to  the  constitu- 
tion, until  the  primary  affection  is  removed.  We  see  this 
effected  in  various  ways.  The  action  of  mercury,  by  pro- 
ducing salivation,  frequently  arrests  the  disease  in  its  earliest 
stages  ;  the  same  effect  is  produced  by  the  irritation  of  preg- 
nancy ;  and,  as  soon  as  the  woman  ceases  to  bear  children,  it 
invariably  returns.  In  wliat  way  are  these  changes  effected 
in  marshy  countries  ?  Probably  by  the  increased  action  of 
the  liver,  and  particularly  of  the  stomach  and  intestines.  In 
this  country,  and  I  believe  it  to  be  the  case  in  all  marshy 
countries,  there  is  a  general  bilious  diathesis,  and  a  continual 
current  to  the  bowels.  Intestinal  diseases  prevail  more  or 
less  throughout  the  whole  year,  accompanied  frequently  with 
hemorrhagic  discharges."     Thus  far,  Dr.  Ludlow  in  1823. 

The  contrast  between  the  past  and  the  present  may  be 
shown  most  forcibly  by  quoting  the  language  of  President 
DwiGiiT  (respecting  the  condition  of  the  country  about  thirty 
years  ago)  in  juxtaposition  with  some  facts  concerning  the 
present  diseases  and  mortality  of  the  country. 

In  the  seventh  letter  detailing  his  observations  on  a  jour- 
ney to  Niagara  in  1804,  President  Dwight  says,  with  refer- 
ence to  the  Genesee  country — 

"  The  diseases  which  principally  prevail  here  are  the 
fever  and  ague,  intermittents  without  ague,  and  bilious  re- 
mittents. Fever  and  ague  may  be  considered  as  nearly  uni- 
versal, almost  all  the  inhabitants  being  sooner  or  later 
seized  by  it  within  a  few  years  after  their  emigration.  This 
disease,  from  the  violence  of  its  affections,  its  long  contin- 
uance, its  return  at  the  same  season  for  several  years,  and 
the  lasting  impression  which  it  often  leaves  on  the  constitu- 
tion, is  regarded  by  the  people  of  New-England  with  a  kind 
of  horror.  The  other  two  diseases,  though  common  to  most 
parts  of  the  country,  are  yet  much  more  predominant  in  par- 
ticular places.  Along  the  Genesee  they  all  abound.  They 
are  also  frequent,  as  I  was  informed,  on  the  southern  shores 
of  Lake  Ontario,  and  in  spots  around  the  outlets  of  most  of 
the  smaller  lakes,  and  in  various  others.  A  tract  around  the 
Onondaga  salt-springs  is  still  more  sickly  and  fatal. 

"  The  tract  of  country  which  I  am  now  considering  has 


MEDICAL   TOPOGRAPHY,    ETC.  101 

thus  far  been  unhealthy.  How  far  this  fact  is  owmg  to  the 
present  stage  in  the  progress  of  its  settlement,  it  is  [now  in 
1804]  impossible  to  determine.  Most  regions  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic  have  been  subjected  to  some  peculiarities  of 
disease  during  the  progress  of  population,  of  which  many- 
have  vanished  when  they  had  reached  the  state  of  complete 
settlement.  While  the  country  is  entirely  forested,  it  is 
ordinarily  healthy.  While  it  is  passing  from  this  state  into 
that  of  general  cultivation,  it  is  usually  less  healthy.  This 
arises  partly  from  the  hardships  suffered  by  the  planters, 
and  partly  from  the  situation  of  the  lands.  *  *  * 

"  From  the  pulmonary  consumption,  so  frequent  else- 
where, they  are  in  a  great  measure  exempted.  Dr.  W.,  of 
Canandaigua,  a  physician  in  extensive  practice,  informed  me 
that,  during  the  ten  years  of  his  residence  there,  only  three 
persons  within  his  knowledge  had  died  of  the  consumption 
in  that  township  and  its  neighbourhood.  He  also  observed 
that  most  of  the  diseases  found  on  the  seacoast  were  un- 
known there,  and  that  he  believed  the  fever  and  ague  to  be 
not  improbably  the  cause  of  this  exemption.  As  I  passed 
through  Sheffield,  in  Massachusetts,  I  was  informed,  in  a 
manner  which  could  not  be  rationally  questioned,  that  the 
consumption  is  also  very  rare  in  that  town.  Should  there 
be  no  error  in  this  account,  it  will  deserve  inquiry  whether 
the  infrequency  of  this  disease  in  the  Southern  states  is  not 
owing  more  to  the  fever  and  ague  than  to  the  warmth  of  the 
climate  ;  or  perhaps,  in  better  words,  whether  the  tendencies 
to  disease  in  the  human  frame  do  not,  in  particular  tracts, 
flow  in  this  single  channel  ?  Should  the  result  of  this  in- 
quiry be  an  afKrmative  answer,  Canandaigua  may  hereafter 
hecome  a  more  convenient  retreat  for  persons  subject  to  pul- 
mojiic  affections  than  the  Southern  states." 

Such  were  some  of  the  concurring  remarks  of  President 
Dwight  and  Dr.  Ludlow  upon  the  medical  topography  of 
Western  New- York  at  periods  about  twenty  years  apart. 
They  were  generally  applicable  even  recently  ;  but  now  the 
scene  is  almost  wholly  changed  throughout  this  region. 
The  condition  of  Rochester — a  city  distant  twenty-eight 
miles  from  Canandaigua,  though  not  in  existence  when 
President  Dwight  travelled  through  the  region — may  be 
cited  now  as  furnishing,  in  the  present  health  of  its  citizens, 
the  strongest  contrast  to  the  medical  statistics  of  an  earlier 
period  in  the  settlement  of  the  country. 
9* 


102         SKETCHES  OP  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

In  reference  to  some  suggestions  which  we  made  con- 
cerning the  changed  aspect  of  the  diseases  of  this  region, 
Dr.  Wm.  W.  Reid,  one  of  the  physicians  of  Rochester,  re- 
marks, in  a  letter  which  we  take  the  hberty  of  pubhshing — 

"  The  name  of  the  '  Genesee  country'  was  formerly  asso- 
ciated strongly  in  eastern  minds  with  ideas  of  sickness  and 
death.  Notwithstanding  the  glowing  descriptions  of  the 
beauty  and  fertility  of  the  land  given  by  the  early  pioneers 
of  Western  New- York,  tliose  who  remained  at  home  in 
New-England  could  scarcely  divest  themselves  of  a  feeling 
of  gloom  in  contemplating  the  danger  incident  to  health  and 
life  in  the  early  stages  of  the  settlement  westward.  It 
seemed  to  most  of  them  that,  after  all,  this  western  region  was 
but  a  '  valley  of  bones' — a  premature  burying-place  for  those 
loved  friends  and  relatives  who  were  tempted  to  settle  in  this 
then  newly-opening  territory.  And  truly,  like  all  new, 
level,  and  rich  countries,  abounding  in  vegetation,  it  was  sub- 
ject largely  to  the  diseases  of  similar  districts — the  severe 
forms  of  intermittent  and  remittent  fevers,  cholera  mor- 
bus, &c. 

"  Rochester,  situate  near  the  northern  extremity  of  the 
Genesee  Valley,  within  five  miles  of  Lake  Ontario,  a  few 
years  ago  necessarily  partook  of  the  characteristics  of  the 
country  on  the  score  of  health .  Being  then  but  a  small  village 
— its  streets  ungraded  and  undrained — the  forest  encroach- 
ing upon  its  suburbs — the  stumps  of  recently-felled  trees 
mingling  with  the  buildings — the  soil  a  deep  vegetable  mould 
that  had  been  accumulating  for  ages,  and  covered  with  de- 
caying matter — what  wonder  that  malaria  and  malaric  dis- 
eases should  prevail?  that  ague,  in  its  worst  and  most  diver- 
sified forms,  should  abound  ? 

"  But  time  has  removed  the  decomposing  vegetable  mat- 
ter, and  man  has  graded,  drained,  paved,  and  macadamized 
the  streets ;  and  Rochester,  grown  into  a  city,  is  now  less 
subject  to  intermittent  and  remittent  fevers  than  the  sur- 
rounding country,  although  the  latter  has  also  become  re- 
markably healthy.  Since  1828,  fevers  have  so  declined 
and  become  so  infrequent  and  mild,  that  death  from  that 
cause  has  been  comparatively  a  rare  occurrence  during  the 
last  seven  years. 

"  Nor  have  the  former  and  earlier  diseases  of  this  place 
been  supplanted  by  others  of  greater  or  equal  malignity. 
But,  as  the  face  of  the  country  has  changed,  the  population 


MEDICAL    TOPOGRAPHY,    ETC.  103 

increased,  and  the  habits  of  society  become  more  luxuri- 
ous, disease  has  assumed  a  greater  variety  of  aspects  and 
a  more  inflammatory  type,  yet  milder  and  more  controlla- 
ble by  medicine.  And  as  we  approximate  the  condition  of 
other  cities — as  improvements,  wealth,  refinement,  luxury, 
and  ease  are  increased,  diseases  change  remarkably  ;  and 
now  that  '  opprobrium  medicorum,'  that  choice  agent  of  the 
King  of  Terrors,  Consumption,  is  gaining  the  ascendency. 
Twelve  years  ago,  and  death  by  consumption  was  as  rare 
an  event  in  Rochester  as  death  by  fever  is  now.  But  du- 
ring the  last  eight  years,  especially  the  last  four  or  five, 
consumption  and  its  kindred  afliections  of  the  lungs  have  in- 
creased considerably.  Yet  a  comparison  of  the  bills  of 
mortality  in  this  and  any  eastern  city  of  equal  population 
will  show  a  balance  in  our  favour  with  reference  even  to 
this  disease. 

"  Whether  the  prevailing  temperature  and  winds  of  this 
locality  have  contributed  most  to  the  increase  of  inflamma- 
tory affections  of  the  lungs,  or  whether  it  must  be  ascribed 
equally  to  a  variety  of  causes,  is  difficult  to  determine. 
Pr-evious  to  1831  we  had  no  regular  and  accurate  registry 
of  the  thermometrical  and  barometrical  variations  ;  but  from 
that  period  to  the  present  time  (1838),  we  have  a  set  of  ob- 
servations carefully  made  by  Dr.  E.  S,  Marsh.  An  ab- 
stract from  his  tables  is  elsewhere  given  in  this  work. 
(See  the  account  of  the  Climate,  Soil  and  Productions  of  the 
Genesee  Valley.)  The  mean  temperature  for  the  year 
1837  was  lower  by  about  one  degree  on  every  day  than 
was  the  case  during  either  of  the  five  preceding  years,  and 
by  nearly  three  degrees  lower  than  the  mean  of  those  five 
years.  The  range  of  the  mercury  in  the  barometer  in  this 
place  is  less  than  two  inches.  On  the  19th  of  March, 
1831,  the  mercury  stood  at  28.40 — on  the  14th  of  February, 
1831,  at  30.20— and  on  Jan.  15,  1834,  at  30.20.  These 
are  the  greatest  extremes  that  have  been  noted." 

The  following  statements  of  the  mortality  in  the  City  of 
Rochester,  and  comparisons  between  this  place  and  other 
towns  with  reference  to  the  subject,  are  furnished  by  Mr. 
William  Myers,  the  Sexton  of  the  City  Cemeteries. 


104        SKETCHES  OP  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

Report  of  Deaths  in  Rochester  in  1837. 

Consumption,  46  ;  dropsy,  8;  dropsy  in  the  head,  10; 
drowned,  18  ;  dysentery,  12  ;  fits,  16  ;  accidental  and  sud- 
den, 8  ;  aneurism,  1  ;  unknown,  10  ;  canker,  4  ;  bowel 
complaint,  82  ;  inflammation  of  the  hmgs,  16;  of  the  brain, 
2  ;  of  the  bowels,  44  ;  of  the  head,  26  ;  fever,  scarlet,  9 ; 
typhus,  &;c.,  10;  piles,  2;  palsy,  2;  catarrh,  2;  cholera 
infantum,  2  ;  croup,  2  ;  childbed,  4  ;  worms,  4  ;  quinsy,  2  ; 
pleurisy,  2. 

Whole  number  of  deaths  in  the  City  of  Rochester  for  the 
year  1837,  358 — of  which  166  were  under  1  year  old ;  58 
between  1  and  5  years  ;  12  between  5  and  10  ;  24  between 
10  and  20  ;  42  between  20  and  30  ;  16  between  30  and  40  ; 
28  between  40  and  50 ;  10  between  50  and  60  ;  2  between 
70  and  80 — showing  a  proportion  of  one  death  out  of  every 
fifty-three  persons,  the  population  of  Rochester  being  cal- 
culated at  19,000. 

The  deaths  reported  in  the  city  of  New-York  for  1837 
amounted  to  8009 — or  about  one  death  for  every  34  persons. 

In  Boston,  the  mortality  during  the  year  amounted  to 
1843,  or  one  death  in  every  43  persons. 

In  Philadelphia,  the  deaths  amounted  to  6666 — making 
about  one  death  in  every  35  persons. 

By  these  statements  it  will  be  seen  that  the  mortality  in 
Rochester  is  considerably  smaller  in  proportion  to  the  num- 
bers of  the  population  than  in  New- York,  Boston,  or  Phila- 
delphia. 


THE  LANDS  OF  THE  SIX  NATIONS. 


NOTICES    OF     THE     TREATIES     AND     LAWS     CONCERNING     THE 
EXTINCTION    OF    THE    INDIAN    TITLE. 

The  arrangements  by  which  the  Six  Nations  were  grad- 
ually induced  to  relinquish  their  territory  may  be  considered 
now,  preliminary  to  some  observations  on  the  subsequent 
subdivisions  and  settlement  of  this  valuable  region. 

A  treaty  made  since  the  commencement  of  the  current 
year  (1838)  provides  for  the  removal  westward  of  the  "last 
lingering  relics"  of  that  renowned  Confederacy — a  people, 
rude  though  they  were,  whose  career  was  marked  with  traits 
of  wisdom,  eloquence,  and  valour,  which  produced  compar- 
isons in  some  respects  between  them  and  the  Greeks,*  and 
won  for  them  the  title  of  the  Romans  of  America.! 

The  progressive  means  by  which  this  great  change  has 
been  effected  are  briefly  traced  in  the  following  analysis  of 
official  documents,  which  we  were  induced  to  prepare  for 
the  information  of  those  who  cannot  conveniently  investigate 
the  voluminous  records  of  events  which  form  such  interest- 
ing features  in  the  annals  of  our  country. 

Notwithstanding  the  atrocities  perpetrated  by  the  Indians 
(to  which  they  were  stimulated  by  the  royalists),|  the  spirit 
manifested  towards  them  by  our  government  after  the  revo- 
lution was  nowise  vindictive,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  context. 

The  following  notices,  in  connexion  with  matters  included 
in  the  Appendix,  will  probably  enable  the  reader  to  form  a 
tolerably  correct  idea  of  the  extraordinary  Confederacy  whose 
former  hunting-grounds  have  suddenly  experienced  the  trans- 
forming influence  of  civilization,  as  signally  exemplified  in 
the  RISE  OF  Rochester. 


*  Vide  President  Dwight's  Travels. 

t  Vide  Discourse  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  in  Appendix. 

t  See  Appendix. 


•^ 


106  SKETCHES    OP   ROCHESTER,   ETC. 


riRST     TKEATY     BETWEEN     THE     UNITED    STATES    AND    THE 
SIX    NATIONS,    AFTER    TH  K    REVOLUTION. 

1784.  The  conditions  of  peace  between  the  United  States 
and  the  Six  Nations  were  concluded  at  Fort  Sianwix  on  the 
22d  of  October,  1784.  Oliver  Wolcott,  Richard  Butler,  and 
Arthur  Lee  acted  as  commissioners  for  the  United  States. 

Peace  was  granted  to  the  Six  Nations  on  condition  that 
captives,  white  and  black,  should  be  restored  to  their  homes, 
and  that  the  Indian  Confederacy  should  agree  to  certain 
western  boundaries.  The  western  frontier  thus  established 
was  described  as  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  a  creek  four 
miles  east  of  Niagara,  then  known  as  Johnson's  Landing- 
place,  "  on  the  lake  named  by  the  Indians  Oswego,  and  by 
us  Ontario" — thence  running  southerly  in  a  direction  always 
four  miles  east  of  the  portage  or  carrying-path  between 
Lakes  Erie  and  Ontario,  to  the  mouth  of  Buffalo  Creek  on 
Lake  Erie — thence  due  south  to  the  north  boundary  of  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania — thence  west  to  the  end  of  the  said 
north  boundary — thence  south  along  the  west  boundary  of 
the  said  state  to  the  River  Ohio.  The  Six  Nations,  on  con- 
curring in  this  limitation,  were  guarantied  the  peaceable  pos- 
session of  their  territories  eastward  of  the  line,  excepting  a 
reservation  of  six  miles  square  around  Fort  Oswego  for  the 
convenience  of  the  United  States.  "•  In  consideration  of  the 
present  circumstances  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  in  execution 
of  the  humane  and  liberal  views  of  the  United  States,"  the 
commissioners  distributed  among  the  Indians  a  considerable 
quantity  of  goods  at  the  conclusion  of  this  important  treaty. 

The  cession  of  their  hunting-grounds  northwest  of  the 
Ohio  was  vigorously  though  unavailingly  opposed  by  several 
of  the  red  men.  Saguaha,  or  Red  Jacket,  then  young  and 
nameless  among  the  head  men,  rose  rapidly  in  favour  with 
the  Senecas  for  his  hostility  to  the  measure — while  the  pop- 
ularity of  their  great  chief,  Cornplanter,  suffered  severely 
among  his  race  for  his  partiality  to  the  whites  in  the  arrange- 
ment. The  reservation  on  the  Allegany  river,  whereon  his 
descendants  still  abide,  formed  part  of  the  gratuity  bestowed 
on  the  half-breed  chief  (for  Cornplanter  was  the  son  of  John 
Abeel  or  O'Bail)  whose  exertions  contributed  so  largely  to 
the  furtherance  of  the  views  of  the  American  government. 
The  patriotism  of  Red  Jacket  was  then  thoroughly  aroused, 
and  his  wisdom  and  eloquence  were  generally  zealously 
employed  to  vindicate  the  rights  of  the  red  man  against  the 


THE    LANDS    OF   THE    SIX   NATIONS.  107 

encroaching  influence  of  the  "  pale  faces."  He  was  elected 
a  chief  among  the  Senecas  soon  after  this  treaty,  and  his  in- 
fluence was  great  among  the  Indian  Confederacy  for  upward 
of  forty  years,  till  death  prevented  him  from  witnessing  the 
complete  success  of  the  policy  (which  he  had  resolutely  op- 
posed) for  the  total  expatriation  of  his  race  by  the  removal 
westward  of  the  fragments  of  the  Six  Nations  yet  lingering 
in  Western  New-York. 

The  hostility  of  Red  Jacket  to  the  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix 
was  so  ingenious  and  enthusiastic,  that  it  was  vividly  remem- 
bered by  Lafayette  (though  the  name  of  the  orator  was  for- 
gotten) on  his  last  visit  to  the  United  States.  It  is  not  sur- 
prising that  the  name  should  have  been  forgotten,  as,  at  the 
time  of  the  treaty,  Red  Jacket  was  young  and  nameless 
among  his  tribe ;  his  character  having  then  only  begun  to 
develop  itself,  though  he  had  not  been  backward  among  the 
warriors  whose  hostilities  in  the  revolutionary  war  provoked 
the  summary  vengeance  inflicted  on  their  Confederacy  by  the 
expedition  of  General  Sullivan.  When  at  Buffalo  on  his 
tour  through  the  Union,  Lafayette  was  reminded  by  Red 
Jacket  of  the  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix.  "  The  occurrences 
are  fresh  in  my  memory,"  said  the  veteran  general ;  "  and 
what  became  of  the  young  warrior  who  then  so  eloquently 
opposed  the  burying  of  the  tomahawk,  and  who  so  zealously 
resisted  the  cession  of  lands  to  the  whites  ?"  "  He  is  ?«ow 
BEFORE  YOU  !"  Said  Red  Jacket. 

First  Lands  acquired  from  the  Indians  by  the  State  of  New- 
York. 

1785.  In  1785,  on  the  28th  of  June,  at  a  treaty  at  Fort 
Herkimer,  with  George  Clinton  and  other  commissioners 
for  ihe  State  of  New- York,  the  Oneida  and  Tuscarora 
tribes  sold  a  portion  of  their  territory  for  $11,500.  The 
tract  thus  sold  included  the  land  lying  between  the  Unadilla 
and  Chenango  Rivers,  south  of  a  line  drawn  east  and  west 
between  those  streams,  and  north  of  the  Pennsylvania  line, 
«fcc.  On  the  22d  of  September,  1788,  the  Oneidas,  by 
treaty  at  Fort  Stanwix,  ceded  all  their  lands,  excepting 
certain  reservations,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel. 

Particular  solicitude  was  manifested  by  the  state  govern- 
ment to  purchase  lands  from  the  Indians  for  the  purpose  of 
discharging  obligations  to  revolutionary  soldiers.  See  no- 
tice of  the  Military  Tract. 


108  SKETCHES   OP   ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

New-  York  and  Massachusetts. 

1786.  On  the  16th  of  December,  1786,  the  controversy 
between  New-York  and  Massachusetts  respecting  the  rights 
of  jurisdiction  and  property  over  a  large  portion  of  territory 
within  the  now  acknowledged  limits  of  New- York  (the  dis- 
puted territory  being  claimed  by  each  state  in  virtue  of  an- 
cient grants  and  charters  under  the  British  Crown),  was 
amicably  arranged  between  the  commissioners  from  the  re- 
spective states  by  an  agreement  made  at  Hartford  in  Connec- 
ticut. (Both  states  had  previously  concurred  in  ceding  to 
Congress  all  claim  to  lands  lying  westward  of  the  present 
boundary  of  New- York.*)  The  difficulty  was  compromised 
by  a  concession  to  Massachusetts  of  the  right  of  pre-emption 

*  The  Pennsylvania  Triangle. — Now  that  the  rivalry  for  the 
Western  trade  has  excited  so  much  attention  to  the  enterprise  mani- 
fested by  several  states  in  connectmg  seaboard  and  lakeboard  by  canals 
and  railroads,  it  may  not  be  deemed  irrelevant,  after  referring  to  the 
settlement  of  the  conflicting  claims  of  Massachusetts  and  New- York, 
to  mention  the  fate  of  the  triangular  tract  [north  of  the  ancient  limits 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  west  of  the  present  western  boundary  of  the  State 
of  New-York],  by  which  the  boundaries  of  Pennsylvania  were  enlarged 
so  as  to  secure  a  small  frontier  on  Lake  Erie. 

This  triangular  tract  is  situatrd  in  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania — era- 
braces  the  town  and  harbour  of  Erie,  formerly  Presque  Isle.  It  is 
bounded  by  a  base  line  on  Lake  Erie  of  38  miles  ;  eastward  by  the 
west  line  of  New-York  18  miles  ;  south  by  lat.  42°,  tha  line  about  33 
miles  long — containing  202,187  acres.  The  circumstances  attending 
its  annexation  to  Pennsylvania  were  these,  as  will  be  seen  by  reference 
to  the  proceedings  in  Congress  on  the  4th  September,  1788  : — 

New- York  and  Massachusetts  having  ceded  to  Congress  all  preten- 
sions growing  out  of  their  charters  to  territory  west  of  a  line  drawn 
southerly  from  the  western  extremity  of  Lake  Ontario,  there  was  a 
small  remainder  of  land  between  the  north  part  of  Pennsylvania  and 
the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  and  between  the  New- York  line  east 
and  the  Ohio  line  (or  rather  the  line  of  the  Connecticut  Reserve)  west, 
which  prevented  Pennsylvania  from  having  direct  intercourse  with  the 
lakes. 

It  was  ordered  in  Congress,  on  report  of  a  committee  consisting  of 
Mr.  Dane,  Mr.  Sedgwick,  and  Mr.  Madison  (to  whom  had  been  refer- 
red a  motion  of  the  Pennsylvania  delegation),  that,  as  the  said  tract  is 
entirely  separate  (by  the  intervention  of  the  Connecticut  Reserve)  from 
the  other  lands  of  the  Western  Territory,  over  which  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  United  States  extends  ;  and  as  it  would  be  expedient  for  Penn- 
sylvania, under  these  circumstances,  to  have  jurisdiction  over  the  tract 
aforesaid — the  United  States  relinquished  all  right  tj  said  tract  on  con- 
dition that  the  sum  of  $157,640  should  be  paid  for  the  202,187  acres 
which  the  tract  contains,  and  that  the  inhabitants  should  be  maintained 
in  their  usual  rights. 


THE    LANDS    OF    THE    SIX   NATIONS.  109 

of  the  soil  from  the  native  Indians  (while  New- York  was 
confirmed  in  the  sovereignty  and  jurisdiction)  of  the  tract 
west  of  a  meridian  line  from  Lake  Ontario,  passing  through 
Seneca  Lake  to  a  point  on  the  Pennsylvania  line  eighty-two 
miles  west  of  the  northeastern  boundary  of  that  state — re- 
serving only  to  New- York  a  tract  one  mile  wide  along  the 
Niagara  River.  Particulars  of  this  controversy  are  given 
hereafter.  It  was  also  agreed  that  Massachusetts  should 
have  the  pre-emptive  right  to  a  tract  of  230,400  acres,  equal 
to  ten  townships  of  six  miles  square,  between  the  Owego 
and  Chenango  Rivers,  sometimes  called  the  "  Massachusetts 
Ten  Townships."  Soon  after  these  arrangements  Massa- 
chusetts sold  its  right  to  the  "  Ten  Townships"  to  Samuel 
Brown  and  59  associates,  for  $3333  33 — and  sold  to 
Phelps  and  Gorham  all  the  tract  west  of  the  line  running 
through  Seneca  Lake,  for  $1,000,000.  Particulars  of  the 
subsequent  history  of  the  western  tract  may  be  found  under 
the  heads  of  the  "  Holland  Purchase"  and  the  "  Pulteney 
Estate."  See  also  the  statements  in  the  sequel  concerning 
the  schemes  of  "  the  Lessees,"  and  their  operations  with 
Phelps  and  Gorham  and  with  the  State  Government,  under 
the  article  headed  "  A  New  State  Projected." 

Lands  of  the  Onondagas. 

1788.  On  the  12th  of  September,  1788,  the  Onondagas, 
by  treaty  at  Fort  Schuyler  (or  Stanwix),  sold  all  their  ter- 
ritory to  the  State  of  New-York — saving  a  reservation 
around  the  chief  village  of  the  tribe,  which  reservation  was 
guarantied  to  them  for  ever ;  but  they  were  precluded  from 
selling  it  otherwise  than  to  the  state  in  case  they  should 
wish  to  dispose  of  it.  It  was  stipulated  that  the  Onon- 
dagas and  their  posterity  should  enjoy  for  ever  the  free 
right  of  hunting  and  fishing  in  the  territory  thus  relin- 
quished. The  Salt  Lake,  and  the  land  around  the  same  for 
one  mile,  was  to  remain  for  ever  for  the  common  use  of  the 
people  of  New-York  and  the  Onondagas,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  salt,  and  not  to  be  disposed  of  for  other  objects. 
For  these  concessions  the  State  of  New- York  paid  a  thou- 
sand French  crowns  in  money,  and  two  hundred  pounds  in 
clothing ;  and  contracted  to  pay  to  the  Onondagas  and  their 
posterity  for  ever  the  sum  of  $500  annually.  This  treaiy 
was  confirmed  on  the  16th  of  June,  1790,  at  Fort  Schuyler, 
10 


110  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC, 

when  and  where  the  tribe  attended  to  receive  the  stipulated 
annuity  ;  and  on  which  occasion  the  state  also  bestowed 
a  gratuity  of  $500. 

Lands  of  the  Oneidas. 

1788.  On  the  22d  of  September,  1788,  the  Oneidas,  who 
had  in  1785  ceded  part  of  their  lands,  now  relinquished  to 
the  State  of  New- York  all  their  territory,  with  the  exception 
of  a  small  reservation  and  the  right  of  hunting  and  fishing 
FOR  EVER  in  all  the  lands  thus  relinquished.  Small  tracts 
around  Oneida  Lake,  Fish  Creek,  and  Onondaga  [now  Os- 
wego] Kiver,  were  reserved  for  ever  for  the  common  use 
of  the  whites  and  Oneidas,  in  fishing,  trading,  &;c.  It  was 
stipulated  also,  that,  notwithstanding  any  reservation  to  the 
Oneidas  for  their  own  use,  the  New-England  Indians  settled 
at  Brothertown  under  the  charge  of  the  Kev.  Samson  Oc- 
cum,  and  their  posterity  for  ever,  and  the  Stockbridge  In- 
dians with  their  posterity  for  ever,  should  enjoy  the  lands 
previously  ceded  to  them  by  the  Oneidas  for  that  purpose. 
The  tract  thus  assigned  to  the  New-England  Indians  was 
three  miles  long  and  two  miles  broad  ;  and  that  set  apart 
for  the  Stockbridge  tribe  was  six  miles  square.  For  the 
lands  acquired  by  this  treaty  the  State  of  New-York  paid 
$2000  in  cash,  $2000  in  clothing,  and  $1000  in  provis- 
ions, with  $500  for  building  a  gristmill  on  the  Oneida  Re- 
serve ;  and  agreed  to  pay  to  the  Oneidas  for  ever  an  an- 
nuity of  $600.  The  Oneidas  agreed  to  aid  the  state  in  ex- 
cluding all  intruders  from  their  reservation,  in  apprehending 
felons,  &c. 

Lands  of  the  Cayugas. 

1789.  The  treaty  made  at  Albany  with  the  Cayugas,  on  the 
25th  of  February,  1789,  provided  for  a  cession  to  the  State 
of  New- York  of  all  the  territory  of  their  tribe,  saving  a  reser- 
vation of  one  hundred  square  miles,  exclusive  of  the  waters 
of  Cayuga  Lake,  about  which  this  reserve  was  located. 
The  Cayugas  were  secured  in  the  privilege  of  the  eel-fishery 
on  Seneca  River,  with  a  competent  space  on  the  south  side 
of  the  river  for  curing  their  fish,  &c.  The  right  of  hunting 
and  fishing  in  every  part  of  the  ceded  territor)'  was  also 
guarantied  to  the  Cayugas  and  their  posterity  forever.  In 
consideration  of  the  lands  thus  acquired  by  this  treaty,  the 


THE    LANDS    OF    THE    SIX    NATIONS.  Ill 

State  of  New- York  then  paid  $500 — agreed  to  pay  on  the 
1st  of  June  following  the  sum  of  $1625 — besides  an  annuity 
for  ever  of  ^500  to  the  Cayugas  and  their  posterity.  The 
conditions  of  this  treaty  were  confirmed  at  Fort  Schuyler  on 
the  22d  June,  1790,  when  the  Cayugas  attended  for  the  re- 
ception of  their  annuity,  $500 — on  which  occasion  the  state 
bestowed  on  the  tribe  a  gratuity  of  $1000.  The  state  re- 
quired the  Cayugas  to  prevent  intruders  from  settling  on 
their  lands,  and  demanded  the  expulsion  therefrom  of  all 
others  than  the  Cayugas  and  their  adopted  brothers,  the 
Paanese. 

The  provisions  for  the  expulsion  of  intruders,  contained  in 
this  treaty  and  in  others  made  about  the  same  time,  vi^ere 
doubtless  particularly  levelled  at  "  the  Lessees"  and  those 
who  claimed  lands  under  "  Connecticut  grants" — concerning 
which  some  statements  maybe  found  hereafter. 

The  United  States  and  the  Six  Nations. 

1789.  On  the  8th  of  January,  1789,  a  treaty  was  formed 
at  Fort  Harmar,  between  Arthur  St.  Clair,  governor  of  the 
territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio,  and  the  sachems  and  war- 
riors of  the  Six  Nations  ;  which  treaty  was  merely  confirm- 
atory of  the  provisions  made  between  the  United  Siates 
and  the  Indian  Confederacy  at  Fort  Schuyler  in  1781. 
None  of  the  Mohawks  were  present,  but  six  months  were 
allowed  for  the  assent  of  that  tribe.  In  addition  to  presents 
formerly  made,  goods  to  the  value  of  $3000  were  now  be- 
stowed on  the  Six  Nations  by  the  general  government. 

The  Indian  names  attached  to  this  treaty  are  more  amu- 
sing from  their  oddity  than  any  equal  number  attached  to  any 
similar  paper  that  we  have  ever  seen.  The  English  syno- 
nymes  which  accompany  their  X  marks  are — Dogs-round- 
the-fire.  The  Blast,  Swimming-fish,  Dancing  Feather,  Fall- 
ing Mountain,  Broken  Tomahawk,  Long-tree,  Loaded  Man, 
Snake,  Bandy-legs,  Big-tree,  Thrown-in-the-water,  Corn- 
planter,  Big  Cross,  New  Arrow,  Half-town,  The  Wasp, 
Wood-bug,  Big-baleof-a-kettle,  Council -keeper.  Broken 
Twig,  Full  Moon,  Twenty  Canoes,  Tearing  Asunder  !  In 
addition  to  which,  there  may  be  added,  from  the  signatures 
of  the  treaty  made  by  Timothy  Pickering  with  the  Six  Na- 
tions at  Canandaiguain  1795,  the  names  of  Handsome  Lake, 
Jake  Stroud,  Captain  Prantup,  Big  Sky,  Fish-carrier,  Little- 


112        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

beard,  Half-town,  Stinking-fish,  Green-grasshopper,  or  Little 
Billy,  Woods-on-fire,  Tvvo-skies-of-a-length,  Heap-of-dogs  ! 
Among  such  uncouth  names  may  be  found,  attaclied  to  the 
Canandaigua  treaty,  the  names  of  Honayawus,  or  Farmer's 
Brother,  and  Sagooyoowhaha,  or  Red  Jacket — men  whose 
MAJESTY  OF  iwiND  shone  with  a  lustre  which  no  "  belittling 
appellatives"  could  bedim. 

New-York  aiid  the  Oneidas^  Onondagas,  and  Cayugas. 

1793.  On  the  1 1th  of  March,  1793,  agents  were  appointed 
by  the  State  of  New- York  to  hold  a  council  with  the  Onei- 
da, Onondaga,  and  Cayuga  Indians,  for  the  purpose  of  buy- 
ing such  lands  as  they  would  spare  from  their  reservationa 
— an  annuity  of  $5  to  be  paid  by  the  state  for  every  square 
mile  relinquished  by  the  Indians — with  a  stipulation  that  the 
state  should  have  the  right  to  make  roads  through  the  lands 
reserved  by  the  Indians. 

1793.  An  agreement  at  Onondaga,  between  John  Can- 
tine  and  Simeon  Dewiit  on  the  part  of  the  state,  and  the 
chiefs  and  warriors  of  the  Onondaga  tribe,  provided  that 
the  tribe  should  release  to  the  state  certain  portions  of  the 
Onondaga  Reservation.  $400  paid  to  the  Indians  at  the 
treaty,  and  $400  annually  on  account  of  the  lands  thus 
ceded,  for  ever. 

1795.  As  the  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  and  Cayugas,  some- 
times collectively,  sometimes  singly,  leased  parts  of  the  lands 
appropriated  for  their  use  to  white  persons,  and  permitted 
others  to  settle  thereon  without  lease,  which  occasioned  con- 
troversy between  the  tribes  and  between  them  and  the  set- 
tlers ;  and  as  the  tribes  requested  the  Legislature  to  interfere 
and  preserve  good  order  in  reference  to  the  subject,  com- 
missioners were  appointed  to  arrange  the  difficulties  in  such 
way  as  should  preserve  among  the  Indians  full  confidence  in 
the  justice  of  the  state — said  agents  being  authorized  to 
grant  annuities  to  the  Indians  for  the  unproductive  lands 
which  said  tribes  might  be  disposed  to  relinquish  to  the 
state,  pursuant  to  the  law  of  11th  March,  1793  (which  al- 
lowed annuities  of  $5  for  each  square  mile  which  should  be 
relinquished  by  the  Indians). 

The  United  States  and  the  Six  Nations. 

1794.  A  treaty  was  formed  at  Konondaigua  [Canandai- 
gua] on  the    11th  November,  1794,  between  the  United 


THE   LANDS    OF   THE    SIX   NATIONS.  113 

States  and  the  Six  Nations — Timothy  Pickering  acting  in 
behalf  of  the  United  States. 

*'  The  President  of  the  United  States  having  determined 
to  hold  a  conference  with  the  Six  Nations  for  the  purpose 
of  removing  from  their  minds  all  causes  of  complaint,  and 
establishing  a  firm  and  permanent  friendship  with  them;  and 
Timothy  Pickering  being  appointed  sole  agent  for  that  pur- 
pose ;  the  following  articles  were  agreed  upon,  in  order  to 
accomplish  the  good  design  of  the  conference — 

After  declaring  the  establishment  of  peace  and  friendship 
between  the  parties,  the  United  States  acknowledged  "  the 
lands  reserved  to  the  Oneida,  Onondaga,  and  Cayuga  na- 
tions in  their  respective  treaties  with  the  State  of  New- York  ; 
admitted  their  reservations  to  be  their  property  ;  and  agreed 
that  they  (the  United  States)  will  never  claim  the  same,  nor 
disturb  them,  nor  eitlier  of  the  Six  Nations,  nor  their  Indian 
friends  residing  thereon  and  united  with  them,  in  the  free  use 
and  enjoyment  thereof;  but  the  said  reservations  shall  re- 
main theirs  until  they  choose  to  sell  the  same  to  the  people 
of  the  United  States,  who  have  the  right  lo  purchase." 

This  treaty  recognised  the  following  boundaries  of  the 
Seneca  nation  :  Beginning  at  Lake  Ontario,  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  lands  they  sold  to  Plielps  and  Gorham, 
the  line  runs  westerly  along  the  lake  to  Johnson's  Landing- 
place  on  the  creek  four  miles  east  of  Fort  Niagara  ;  then 
southerly  up  that  creek  to  its  main  fork  ;  then  straight  to 
the  main  fork  of  Stedman's  Creek,  which  empties  into  Ni- 
agara River  above  Fort  Schlosser ;  and  then  onward  from 
that  point,  continuing  the  same  straight  course  to  that  river 
[this  line,  from  the  Four-mile  Creek  to  Niagara  River,  above 
Fort  Schlosser,  being  the  eastern  boundary  of  a  strip  of  land 
extending  from  the  same  line  to  Niagara  River,  which  the 
Seneca  nation  ceded  to  the  King  of  Great  Britain  at  a  treaty 
held  about  thirty  years  previous  by  Sir  Wm.  Johnson]  ;  then 
the  line  runs  along  the  River  Niagara  to  Lake  Erie  ;  then 
along  Lake  Erie  to  the  northeast  corner  of  the  triangu- 
lar piece  of  land  which  the  United  States  conveyed  to  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania  in  March,  1792 — then  due  south  to 
the  north  boundary  of  that  state ;  then  due  east  to  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  land  sold  by  the  Seneca  nation  to 
Oliver  Phelps  ;  and  then  north  and  northerly  along  Phelps's 
line  to  the  place  of  beginning  on  Lake  Ontario.  All  the  ter? 
10* 


114        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

ritory  within  these  limits  was  acknowledged  as  the  property 
ef  the  Senecas,  and  the  United  States  agreed  never  to  dis- 
turb that  tribe,  nor  any  of  the  Six  Nations  or  their  Indian 
friends  in  the  occupation  thereof. 

The  United  States  having  thus  acknowledged  the  reser- 
vations of  the  Six  Nations,  the  latter  agreed  never  to  claim 
any  other  lands  within  the  United  States,  nor  to  molest  the 
people  thereof,  &c. 

The  Senecas  (the  other  tribes  concurring)  ceded  to  the 
United  States  the  right  of  making  a  wagon-road  from  Schlos- 
ser  to  Lake  Erie  at  Buffalo  Creek,  for  travelling  and  trans- 
portation ;  and  the  Six  Nations  agreed  to  allow  always  to 
the  United  States  a  free  passage  through  their  lands,  with 
the  free  use  of  the  harbours  and  rivers  adjoining  and  within 
their  respective  tracts  of  land,  for  the  passing  and  securing 
of  vessels,  with  liberty  to  land  cargoes  where  necessary  for 
their  safety. 

"  In  consideration  of  the  peace  and  friendship  hereby  estab- 
lished, and  of  the  engagements  entered  into  by  the  Six  Na- 
tions ;  and  because  the  United  States  desire  with  humanity 
and  kindness  to  contribute  to  their  comfortable  support,  and 
to  render  the  peace  and  friendship  hereby  established  strong 
and  perpetual,"  the  United  States  delivered  to  the  Six  Na- 
tions ten  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  goods  ;  and  for  the 
same  consideration,  and  with  a  view  to  promote  the  future 
welfare  of  the  Six  Nations  and  of  their  Indian  friends  afore- 
said, the  United  States  added  $3000  to  the  $1500  pre- 
viously allowed  them  by  an  article  dated  23d  April,  1793 
(which  $1500  was  to  be  expended  annually  in  purchasing 
clothing,  domestic  animals,  and  implements  of  husbandry, 
and  for  encouraging  useful  artificers  to  reside  in  their  vil- 
lages), making  in  the  whole  $4500,  the  whole  to  be  expend- 
ed yearly  for  ever  in  purchasing  clothing,  &c.,  as  just  men- 
tioned, under  the  direction  of  the  superintendent  appointed 
by  the  president. 

"  Lest  the  firm  peace  and  friendship  now  established  should 
be  interrupted  by  the  misconduct  of  individuals,  the  United 
States  and  the  Six  Nations  agree  that,  for  injuries  done  by 
individuals  on  either  side,  no  private  revenge  or  retaliation 
shall  take  place  ;  but,  instead  thereof,  complaint  shall  be 
made  by  the  party  injured  to  the  other,  and  such  prudent 
measures  shall  then  be  pursued  as  shall  be  necessary  to 


THE    LANDS   OP   THE    SIX   NATIONS.  115 

preserve  our  peace  and  friendship  unbroken,  until  the  Legis- 
lature (or  great  Council  of  the  United  States)  shall  make 
other  equitable  provision  for  the  purpose." 

A  note  to  the  treaty  says — "  It  is  clearly  understood  by 
the  parties  to  this  treaty,  that  the  annuity  stipulated  in  the 
sixth  article  is  to  be  applied  to  the  benefit  of  such  of  the 
Six  Nations,  and  of  their  Indian  friends  united  with  them 
as  aforesaid,  as  do  or  shall  reside  within  the  boundaries  of 
the  United  Slates  ;  for  the  United  States  do  not  interfere 
with  nations,  tribes,  or  families  of  Indians  elsewhere  resi- 
dent." 

An  anecdote  characteristic  of  Red  Jacket  has  been  men- 
tioned to  us  by  an  old  settler.  At  the  conference  for  the 
formation  of  the  treaty.  Colonel  Pickering  commenced  ma- 
king memoranda  as  Red  Jacket  was  speaking.  The  Indian 
orator,  while  depicting  the  wrongs  which  the  red  men  had 
suffered  from  the  encroachments  of  the  whites,  paused  sud- 
denly, addressed  himself  with  energetic  dignity  to  Colonel 
Pickering,  and  exclaimed — "  Look  up  from  the  table,  broth- 
er, and  fix  your  eyes  upon  my  eyes — that  you  may  see  that 
what  Saguaha  says  is  the  truth,  and  no  lie  /" 

Notwithstanding  the  anxiety  of  the  government  to  propi- 
tiate the  favour  of  the  Six  Nations  by  these  treaties,  many 
of  the  Senecas  w^ere  found  among  the  western  Indians  fight- 
ing against  Harmar,  St.  Clair,  and  Wayne,  and  against  Har- 
rison at  Tippecanoe  as  late  as  1811.     See  Appendix. 

Seneca  Lands — Reservations,  Sfc. 

1797.  By  treaty  at  Big-tree,  on  the  Genesee,  in  what  was 
then  Ontario  county,  near  the  present  village  of  Geneseo, 
Livingston  county  (Jeremiah  Wadsworth,  United  States 
Commissioner,  and  William  Shepherd,  agent  for  Massachu- 
setts), Robert  Morris  bought  from  the  Indians  the  right  of 
soil  in  tlie  whole  country  west  of  Phelps's  original  purchase, 
excepting  the  strip  at  Niagara  River,  and  excepting  also  the 
several  reservations  now  mentioned,  viz.  :  Two  square  miles 
at  Canawagus,  near  Avon ;  two  square  miles  at  Big-tree ; 
two  square  miles  at  Little-beard's  town ;  two  square  miles 
at  Squakie  Hill ;  the  Gardow  Reservation,  containing  four 
miles  square,  and  taking  as  much  land  on  the  west  as  on 
the  east  side  of  the  River  Genesee,  in  Castile,  Mount  Mor- 
ris, &;c.  ;  the  Caneadea  Reservation,  extending  eight  miles 


116  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

along  the  river,  and  two  miles  broad  ;  another  reservation 
at  Cattaraugus  Creek  and  Lake  Erie  ;  another  reservation 
south  side  of  Cattaraugus  Creek  (both  of  which  last  tracts 
were  afterward  transferred  to  the  Holland  Company,  in  ex- 
change for  other  lands).  Also,  forty-two  square  miles  at  and 
near  Allegany  River,  where  Corn-planter  lived  ;  and  two 
hundred  square  miles,  to  be  laid  off  partly  at  Buffalo  and 
Tonawanta  Creeks — the  privilege  of  hunting  and  fishing  in 
all  the  ceded  lands  being  reserved  to  the  Senecas. 

The  Mohawhs. 

1797.  On  the  29th  of  March,  1797,  the  Mohawks,  who 
mostly  fled  to  Canada  during  the  revolution,  by  their  agents, 
Capt.  Joseph  Brant  and  Capt.  John  Deserontyon,  agreed 
with  the  State  Comaiissioners,  Abraham  Ten  Broeck,  Eg- 
bert Benson,  and  Ezra  L'Hommedieu,  in  presence  of  Isaac 
Smith,  United  States  Commissioner,  to  relinquish  all  claim 
to  lands  in  this  state  for  the  sum  of  $1000 — the  state  to 
pay  $600  for  expenses  of  the  Mohawk  agents  in  coming  and 
going  back  to  Canada,  and  conveying  the  money  to  their 
nation,  to  be  distributed  according  to  their  usage. 

The  representations  in  a  memorial  presented  to  the  Legis- 
lature some  time  previous  are  worthy  of  notice  for  their 
reference  to  the  former  condition  of  the  tribe:  In  1786,  a 
petition  presented  to  the  Legislature  by  Johannes  Crine,  a 
Mohawk  chief,  in  behalf  of  himself  and  others  of  the  Mohawk 
tribe,  represented  that  the  Mohawk  Indians,  from  time  imme- 
morial, have  lived  at  Tiondarogue,  since  called  Fort  Hunter, 
and  occupied  a  tract  of  land  on  both  sides  of  the  Schoharie 
Creek,  at  the  junction  of  said  creek  with  the  Mohawk  River, 
containing  upward  of  3000  acres  of  upland,  intervale,  and 
lowlands  ;  that  considerable  improvements  had  been  made 
by  the  tribe  at  the  commencement  of  the  revolution — that 
he  alone  had  three  good  dwellings,  two  barns,  and  an  or- 
chard, besides  cattle — but  that,  v.'liile  he  was  imprisoned  in 
Niagara  in  J  780,  Sir  John  Johnson  made  a  descent  in  May 
upon  Cochnawaga,  destroyed  his  place,  and  carried  off  his 
family,  with  other  Mohawks,  to  Canada.  That  the  reason 
of  his  imprisonment  in  Niagara  was  this  :  he  went  with  a 
flag  of  truce  from  Gen.  Schuyler  to  the  oflicer  at  that  post, 
where  he  was  thrown  into  confinement  along  with  his  com- 
panions, Abraham,  a  Mohawk  chief,  and  Petrus  and  Scan- 
ando,  two  Oneida  chiefs,  &c. 


THE    LANDS    OP   THE    SIX    NATIONS.  117 

The  Oneidas. 

1798.  On  the  1st  of  June,  1798,  by  a  treaty  at  the  Oneida 
village  (J.  Hopkinson,  United  States  Agent,  present),  there 
was  bought  for  the  uses  of  New-York  a  part  of  the  lands 
reserved  to  the  Oneidas  by  previous  contract  with  the  state 
—  consideration,  ^500  in  hand,  and  $700  annually.  Rati- 
fied February  21,  1799. 

Brothertown  Indians. 

1801.  On  the  4th  of  April,  1801,  the  tract  set  apart  for 
the  New-England  Indians  (viz.  the  Mohegan,  Montock, 
Stonington,  and  Narraganset  Indians,  with  the  Pequots  of 
Groton,  and  Nahantics  of  Farmington),  was  confirmed  as 
their  property,  but  without  the  power  of  alienation — the  tract 
to  be  called  Brothertoicn,  and  to  be  deemed  part  of  the  town 
of  Paris,  Oneida  county,  for  all  purposes  connected  with  the 
execution  of  the  laws. 

Rights  of  the  Indians,  <SfC. 

1801.  A  law  relative  to  the  Indians,  passed  on  the  4th  of 
April,  1801,  provided  fine  and  imprisonment  for  any  one  who 
should  attempt  to  buy  or  sell  in  any  way  any  lands  belong- 
ing to  the  Indian  tribes,  unless  authorized  in  lawful  form  : 
Also,  that  no  action  could  be  maintained  against  any  Stock- 
bridge,  Brothertown,  Oneida,  Onondaga,  or  Cayuga  In- 
dians ;  and  that  any  one  suing  on  such  contracts  should 
pay  treble  costs  to  the  party  aggrieved :  Also,  that  any  one 
who  should  sell  liquors  to  the  Oneida,  Stockbridge,  or  Broth- 
ertown Indians,  within  the  counties  of  Oneida  and  Chenan- 
go, should  be  subject  to  fine  and  forfeiture  ;  that  pawns 
taken  from  Indians  within  the  state  for  liquor  should  be  re- 
coverable back  with  costs  of  suit  by  the  pawner. 

The  following  annuities  were  ordered  to  be  paid,  in  lieu  of 
former  stipulations,  viz.  :  $4869^/o  for  the  use  of  the  Onei- 
das ;  S2000  for  the  Onondagas  ;  $2300  for  the  Cayugas. 
A  portion  of  these  sums  to  be  applied,  at  the  discretion  of  the 
governor,  for  the  support  of  schools  on  the  reservations. 

Disposal  of  State  Lands. 

1801.  Commissioners  of  the  Land-Office  were  appointed 
on  the  24th  March,  1801,  and  directed  to  make  ready  for 


118  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

sale  the  unappropriated  lands  in  the  "Western  District," 
excepting  the  reserves  of  the  Oneida,  Onondaga,  and  Cayuga 
Indians,  and  the  lands  purchased  from  said  Indians  since 
the  11th  of  March,  1793,  and  all  lands  heretofore  reserved 
by  law  for  public  uses,  or  for  the  use  of  this  state,  and  all 
lands  in  the  counties  of  Onondaga  and  Cayuga.  The  towns 
surveyed  to  be  as  nearly  square  as  practicable,  to  contain 
64,000  acres  each,  and  the  lots  to  be  160  acres  each,  num- 
bered regularly.  Four  lots  to  be  reserved  in  each  town  for 
promoting  schools  and  literature.  Not  more  than  64,000 
acres  to  be  sold  by  auction  at  any  one  time,  and  at  not  less 
than  75  cents  per  acre. 

New-Stockhridge. 

1801.  By  a  law  of  April  4,  1801,  the  six  miles  square 
confirmed  to  the  Stockbridge  Indians  by  the  Oneidas  at  the 
treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix  in  1788,  was  designated  as  "  New- 
Stockbridge,"  and  was  declared  to  be  the  property  of  the 
Stockbridge  Indians  for  ever — but  without  the  power  of 
alienation. 

Seneca   Lands. 

1802.  On  the  30ih  of  June,  1802,  by  a  treaty  at  Buffalo 
Creek,  in  the  then  County  of  Ontario,  in  presence  of  John 
Tayler,  U.  S.  Commissioner,  Messrs.  Oliver  Phelps,  Isaac 
Bronson,  and  Horatio  Jones  bought  of  the  Seneca  tribe  the 
tract  called  Little-beard's  Reservation,  bounded  east  by 
Genesee  River  and  Little-beard's  Creek,  on  the  south  and 
west  by  other  Seneca  lands,  and  north  by  the  Big-tree 
Reservation.  The  tract  consisted  of  two  square  miles,  and 
the  sum  paid  therefor  ^1200. 

On  the  same  day,  the  Holland  Company,  by  their  agent, 
Joseph  Ellicott,  agreed  as  follows  with  the  Seneca  tribe  : 
That  the  two  reservations  near  Cattaraugus  Creek  and  Lake 
Erie,  designated  in  the  agreement  with  Robert  Morris,  in 
1797,  should  be  exchanged  with  the  Indians  for  another 
tract  in  the  same  neighbourhood — the  Company  reserving 
the  right  of  pre-emption  to  the  exchanged  lands. 

The  Legislature  voted  $1500  to  enable  Oliver  Phelps, 
Israel  Chapin,  and  other  commissioners  to  erect  a  "  church 
and  schoolhouse"  in  each  of  the  Seneca  and  Tuscarora 
Reservations, 


THE    LANDS   or   THE    SIX   NATIONS.  119 


The  Senecas. 

1802.  The  law  declared  it  necessary  that  a  treaty  be 
held  with  the  Seneca  nation  of  Indians  to  extinguish  their 
claim  to  lands  east  of  Lake  Erie,  to  enable  this  state  to 
cede  their  jurisdiction,  or  sell  to  the  United  States  a  sufficient 
space  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  Lake  Erie,  at  a  place 
called  Black  Rock,  as  might  be  sufficient  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  military  post.  The  Governor  was  therefore  au- 
thorized to  hold  a  treaty  with  the  Seneca  nation  of  Indians, 
to  extinguish  their  claim  to  the  whole  or  such  part  of  their 
lands  at  the  east  end  of  Lake  Erie,  of  one  mile  wide  on 
Niagara  River,  "  from  Buffalo  Creek  to  Stedman's  Farm, 
including  Black  Rock,  with  so  much  land  adjoining  as 
should  be  sufficient  for  establishing  a  military  post,  on  such 
payments  and  annuities  as  he  should  judge  most  condu- 
cive to  the  interest  of  the  state.  $5000  appropriated  to 
pay  expenses  of  the  treaty,  and  to  make  the  first  payment 
on  the  land  sought  for.  It  was  allowed  by  the  law  that  a 
stipulation  should  be  made  for  securing  to  Horatio  Jones 
and  Jasper  Parish  two  square  miles  of  the  narrow  strip  lying 
alongside  the  Niagara,  as  aforesaid,  in  case  the  Senecas 
should  make  such  provision  in  favour  of  those  persons. 
The  Governor  was  authorized  to  treat  with  the  Oneidas  and 
Onondagas  for  purchasing  their  reservations. 

Jones  and  Parish  were  captured  by  the  Senecas  during 
the  revolutionary  war — they  resided  long  among  the  tribe, 
and  were  afterward  employed  as  interpreters  by  the  gov- 
ernment. 

The  Oneidas. 

1802.  An  agreement  with  the  Oneidas  resulted  in  se- 
curing more  of  their  lands  for  an  additional  annual  payment. 

1803.  The  Oneida  nation  of  Indians,  suffering  much  ow- 
ing to  their  corn-crops  having  been  cut  off  the  previous 
year,  besought  the  Legislature  to  pay  a  portion  of  the  annu- 
ity in  advance,  to  enable  them  to  purchase  the  necessaries 
of  life. 

1804.  Arrangements  were  made  for  rendering  the  pro- 
ceeds of  1000  acres  of  land,  belonging  to  the  New-Stock- 
bridge  Indians,  available  in  their  annual  products  for  sup- 
porting a  school  on  their  reservation. 


12Q        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

Tlie  Cayugas. 
1807.  The  Cayugas    ceded   their   two  reservations   on 
Cayuga  Lake,  the  one  two  miles  square,  the  other  one  mile 
square,  for  $4800,  paid  to  Jasper  Parish  for  them. 

^■r  The  Oncidas. 

1807.  The  Christian  party  of  the  Oneidas  ceded  "the 
Canastota  Tract" — the  Indians  to  be  paid  a  sum  equal  to 
six  per  cent,  annually  on  the  valuation  of  the  lands. 

1809.  A  treaty  at  Albany  with  the  Christian  party  of  the 
Oneidas  provided  for  the  purchase  of  their  reservation,  con- 
sisting of  7500  acres — $600  to  be  paid  down,  ^1000  soon 
after,  and  an  annual  payment  equivalent  to  six  per  cent,  on 
the  then  value  of  the  lands. 

1809.  The  Pagan  party  likewise  sold  lands  for  $1000 — 
and  an  annuity  equal  to  six  per  cent,  on  the  value  of  the 
lands,  after  deducting  the  $1000.  v. 

Protection  of  the  Indians. 

1812.  Persons  other  than  Indians  were  fordidden,  under 
penalties  of  fine  or  imprisonment,  to  treat,  settle,  or  reside 
on  any  of  the  Indian  Reservations  within  the  state. 

1813.  A  penalty  of  $35  for  every  tree,  with  costs  of  suit, 
was  denounced  against  those  who  trespassed  by  cutting  tim- 
ber on  the  Indian  lands  within  this  state. 

The  Oneidas. 

1813.  The  Governor  was  authorized  to  hold  a  treaty  with 
"  the  Oneida  nation  of  Indians,  or  the  Christian  and  Pagan 
party  thereof,"  or  any  other  of  the  Indian  nations  or  tribes 
within  the  state,  "  for  the  purpose  of  extinguishing  their 
claim  to  such  part  of  their  lands  lying  within  this  state  as 
he  may  deem  proper,  for  such  sums  and  annuities  as  might 
be  mutually  agreed  upon  by  the  parties." 

The  Pagan  party  of  Oneidas  were  authorized  to  retain  for 
their  own  use  and  occupation  the  lot  belonging  to  the  state, 
situate  on  the  southwest  side  of  Oneida  Creek,  and  extend- 
ing from  the  mouth  of  Mud  Creek  to  the  division  line  between 
the  Pagan  and  Christian  parties,  so  called,  containing  about 
428  acres,  until  otherwise  disposed  of  by  law. 

1815.  The  lands  bought  at  the  last  treaty  with  the  Chris- 
tian party  of  the  Oneida  Indians  (pursuant  to  the  power  con- 
ferred on  the  governor  by  the  law  of  April  5,  1813),  was 


'YJ 


THE    LANDS    OF   THE    SIX    NATIONS.  121 

ordered  to  be  surveyed  into  lots  of  160  acres — no  occupant 
or  settler,  other  than  Indians,  to  be  allowed  for  any  improve- 
ments— and  no  improved  land  occupied  by  any  Indian  to  be 
sold  before  the  occupant  should  have  relinquished  his  im- 
provement to  the  people  of  the  state,  if  such  improvement 
should  be  of  the  value  of  $20. 

Seneca  Lands, 

1815.  The  Legislature  voted  that  the  land  north  of  and 
adjoining  Black  Rock,  called  the  Garrison  Lot,  bought  from 
the  Senecas  for  the  purpose  of  being  ceded  to  the  general 
government  for  a  military  post  (vide  law  of  1802),  together 
with  land  owned  by  the  state  adjoining  the  village  of  Lewis- 
ton,  should  be  sold  in  small  lots — and  the  surveyor-general 
was  authorized  to  make  such  changes  in  the  plans  of  Black 
Rock  and  Lewiston  as  he  might  deem  advisable,  without 
prejudicing  the  rights  of  persons  who  had  already  bought 
lots  in  those  villages. 

Relief  of  Indians. 

1817.  The  Governor  having  represented  to  the  Legisla- 
ture that  great  distress  prevailed  among  the  St.  Regis,  Onei- 
da, Onondaga,  and  Seneca  Indians,  "  on  account  of  the  de- 
struction of  their  corn  the  last  season,  and  of  the  general 
scarcity  of  other  usual  means  of  support,"  provision  was 
made  for  advancing  such  portions  of  the  annuities  due  those 
tribes  as  might  be  requested  by  their  chiefs  for  the  purpose 
of  procuring  the  necessaries  of  life. 

Stockbridge,  Oneida^  Sfc. 

1817.  White  persons  were  forbidden,  under  any  pretext 
whatever,  from  receiving  from  any  Indian  residing  on  the 
lands  of  the  Mohekonnic  or  Stockbridge  Indians,  or  on  the 
reservation  of  the  Oneida  or  Brothertown  Indians,  any 
pawns  or  pledges  ;  and  forfeiture  of  the  pledges,  as  well  as 
fines,  were  affixed  as  penalties  for  violations  of  the  law. 

Lands  of  the  Onondagas. 

1817.  The  lands  bought  "  at  a  late  treaty  with  the  Onon- 
daga Indians"  were  ordered  to  be  surveyed  into  lots  of  160 
acres,  and  sold,  the  proceeds  to  be  paid  into  the  treasury. 
11 


122 


SKETCHES    OF    ROCnESTER,    ETC. 


1818.  The  law  recited  that,  "  whereas,  by  the  treaty  with 
the  Oiiondagas  on  the  28ih  July,  1795,  it  was  stipulated  that 
the  tribe  should  receive  an  annuity  of  $2000,  payable  half 
at  Canandaigua  and  half  at  Oneida  :  and  whereas  the  recent 
removal  of  the  whole  tribe  to  Onondaga  renders  it  necessary 
that  the  whole  sum  should  be  there  paid,  in  order  to  a  more 
equitable  distribution  thereof :"  therefore,  it  was  enacted 
that  the  whole  annuity  should  be  paid  to  that  tribe  collected 
at  Onondaga. 


Indians  of  this  State  in 
1819.  A  report  made  in  the  Legisla 
of  the  Indians  of  this  state,  represented 
and  situation  as  follows: 

Reservation  at  Buffalo, 
"  "  Tonawanta, 

"  "  Cattaraugus,    . 

"  "  Allegany  River, 

6  Reservations  on  Genesee  River, 

Oil-Spring  Reservation, 

Tuscarora  " 

Oneida  " 

Onondaga  " 

Stoekbridge         " 

St.  Regis  " 


Total,  271,323       4976 

The  average  value  of  the  whole  tracts  was  estimated  at 
$6  per  acre,  amounting  to  $1,626,000. 

A  resolution  was  adopted  after  this  report,  requesting  the 
Governor  "  to  co-operate  with  the  U.  S.  Government  in  such 
measures  as  may  be  deemed  most  advisable,  as  far  as  it 
may  be  found  practicable,  to  induce  the  several  Indian  tribes 
within  the  state  to  concentrate  themselves  in  some  suitable 
situation,  under  such  provisions  and  subject  to  such  regula- 
tions as  may  be  judged  most  effectual  to  secure  them  the 
best  means  of  protection,  and  instruction  in  piety  and  agri- 
culture, and  gradually  to  extend  to  them  the  benefits  of  civi- 
lization ;  and  that  he  is  authorized  to  take  such  measures, 
either  with  or  without  the  co-operation  of  the  government  of 
the  United  States." 


1819. 

ture,  on  the  c 

audition 

their  numbers 

extent, 

Acres. 

Indians. 

83,557 

636 

46,209 

365 

26,880 

389 

30,469 

597 

31,648 

456 

640 

000 

1,920 

314 

20,000 

1031 

7,000 

300 

13,000 

438 

10,000 

400 

THE    LANDS   OP   THE    SIX   NATIONS.  123 

Concluding  Arrangements. 

Between  the  last-mentioned  date  and  the  present  year 
(1838),  the  principal  intercourse  between  the  Six  Nations 
and  the  State  and  National  Governments  referred  to  the  re- 
moval westward  in  1833  of  such  portions  of  the  tribes  as 
were  disposed  to  emigrate.  Some  of  these  exiles  located 
about  Green  Bay,  others  beyond  the  Mississippi. 

Within  a  few  weeks  past  (February,  1838),  arrangements 
have  been  made  for  extinguishing  the  Indian  title  to  nearly 
every  vestige  of  the  former  possessions  of  the  Six  Nations 
within  the  limits  of  this  state  ;  and  for  the  removal  of  the 
fragments  of  those  tribes  to  a  valuable  tract  westward  of  the 
Mississippi. 

The  treaty  was  formed  at  Buffalo,  R.  Gillett  acting  as 
commissioner  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  and  Josiah 
Trowbridge  appearing  as  superintendent  in  behalf  of  the 
State  of  Massachusetts,  to  which  state,  it  will  be  recollected, 
the  pre-emptive  right  to  these  Indian  lands  was  ceded  by 
the  State  of  New-York  in  settlement  of  former  conflicting 
claims.  The  improvement  of  the  Reservation  near  Buffalo 
will  be  highly  advantageous  to  that  flourishing  city.  Not 
having  seen  an  entire  copy  of  the  treaty,  we  copy  an 
abstract  of  its  provisions  from  the  Buffalo  (Jommercial  Ad- 
vertiser, which  is  in  accordance  with  the  versions  given 
by  the  other  daily  prints  of  that  city,  the  Star  and  the 
Journal : — - 

"By  virtue  of  this  instrument,  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment gives  to  said  Indians  1,824,000  acres  of  land  west  of 
Missouri,  being  320  acres  for  each  person,  to  be  held  in  fee 
simple  by  patent  from  the  President,  and  never  to  be  inclu- 
ded in  any  state.  Government  also  gives  them  $30,000  for 
the  support  of  a  high  school  or  college  ;  $20,000  for  build- 
ings and  enclosures  for  the  poor,  on  their  arrival  at  their 
new  homes;  and  $10,000  a  year  for  five  years,  to  be  paid 
in  farming  utensils,  domestic  animals,  &c. 

"  The  only  cession  of  land  to  the  government  is  of  the 
Green  Bay  Tract.,  from  which  is  excepted  a  reservation  now 
occupied  by  the  Oneidas.  Those  who  do  not  remove  to  the 
new  country  in  five  years,  or  such  time  as  the  President  may 
appoint,  forfeit  their  right  to  the  country  set  apart  for  thera. 
The  Senecas,  Cayugas,  Tuscaroras,  and  the  Onondagas, 
residing  on  the  Seneca  Reservations,  agree  to  remove  in  five 


3di        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

years,  and  a  portion  of  the  Oneidas  are  to  do  so  as  soon  as 
the  Governor  of  New-York  will  purchase  their  lands. 

"  Several  sums  of  money  are  to  be  paid  to  several  nations 
and  individuals,  to  remunerate  them  for  losses  and  services 
which  it  is  supposed  the  United  States  ought  to  pay. 

"  A  separate  treaty  has  also  been  made  with  the  Senecas 
and  Tuscaroras,  for  the  purchase  of  their  lands  (except 
one  reservation  conveyed  by  the  latter  to  the  United  States 
in  trust),  by  the  representatives  of  the  State  of  Massachu- 
setts, with  the  assent  of  a  superintendent  from  that  slate. 
The  consideration  money  for  the  sale  of  the  Seneca  Reserva- 
tion is  to  be  paid  to  the  United  States,  and  be  held  in  trust 
for  the  nation.  One  hundred  thousand  dollars  of  which  is 
to  be  invested  for  the  use  of  the  nation,  and  the  balance 
($102,000)  is  to  be  distributed  among  the  owners  of  the  im- 
provements on  the  reservations.  The  government  agrees  to 
have  one  of  its  agents  reside  among  the  Indians  at  their  new 
homes,  and  to  pay  them  their  annuities  there.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  other  tribes  could  not  make  positive  engage- 
ments to  remove,  until  they  arranged  to  dispose  of  their  lands 
to  the  state,  which  owns  the  fee  of  them. 

"  By  this  treaty  the  Tuscaroras  cede  to  the  Ogden  Com- 
pany, who  purchased  the  pre-emptive  right,  1920  acres,  to 
the  United  Stales  about  5000  acres,  of  which  the  Indians 
owned  the  fee,  and  which  is  to  be  sold  by  the  United  States, 
and  the  nett  proceeds  paid  to  the  Indians. 

*'  The  Senecas  cede  to  the  pre-emptive  owners  about 
115,000  acres,  all  lying  in  the  western  part  of  the  state — 
50,000  of  which  is  the  reservation  near  the  City  of  Buffalo. 

"The  other  reservations  are,  one  at  Tonawanda,  one  at 
Cattaraugus,  and  one  at  Allegany. 

"  The  tract  which  the  Indians  obtain  lies  directly  west  of 
and  adjoining  the  State  of  Missouri,  being  27  miles  wide, 
and  about  106  deep.  It  is  watered  by  the  Little  Osage, 
Marmaton,  Neosho,  and  branches  of  the  two  Verdigris  and 
Turkey-foot  Rivers.  These  are  all  clear,  rapid  streams, 
abounding  in  fish.  The  country  is  healthy  and  fertile, 
with  sufficient  timber  along  the  borders  of  the  rivers  for  all 
practical  uses.  Besides  this,  on  the  tract  are  found  coal,  fine 
stone  quarries,  and,  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  salt  in  abun- 
dance." 

Thus  faded  away  the  power  of  the  Iroquois  or  Six  Na- 
tions in  the  State  of  New- York. 


THE    LANDS    OF    THE    SIX    NATIONS.  125 

[Note. — Opportunity  is  here  taken  to  insert  a  notice  of  the 
good-will  manifested  by  the  national  government  towards 
certain  Indians  who  were  friendly,  while  the  great  body  of 
the  Confederacy  were  hostile  through  the  revolutionary  war. 
The  notice  was  accidentally  omitted  from  the  proper  order 
of  dates  ;  and  the  omission  is  here  supplied  particularly  to 
corroborate  the  remark  made  at  the  commencement  of  this 
article,  touching  the  feelings  manifested  by  the  government 
towards  the  Six  Nations,  &c.  The  treaty  made  on  the  2d 
of  December,  1794,  in  the  Oneida  country,  Timothy  Pick- 
ering agent  for  the  United  States,  ran  thus  : 

"  Whereas,  in  the  late  war  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States  of  America,  a  body  of  the  Oneida,  and  Tusca- 
rora,  and  the  Stockbridge  Indians  adhered  faithfully  to  the 
United  States,  and  assisted  them  with  their  warriors  ;  and, 
in  consequence  of  this  adherence  and  assistance,  the  Oneidas 
and  Tuscaroras,  at  an  unfortunate  period  of  the  war,  were 
driven  from  their  homes,  and  their  houses  were  burnt,  and 
their  property  destroyed  :  and  as  the  United  States,  in  the 
time  of  their  distress,  acknowledged  their  obligations  to  these 
faithful  friends,  and  promised  to  reward  them  ;  and  the  Uni- 
ted States  being  now  in  a  condition  to  fulfil  the  promises 
then  made,  the  following  articles  are  stipulated  by  the  re- 
spective parties  for  that  purpose,  to  be  in  force  when  rati- 
fied by  the  President  and  Senate  : 

Art.  1.  The  United  States  will  pay  the  sum  of  five  thou- 
sand dollars,  to  be  distributed  among  individuals  of  the 
Oneida  and  Tuscarora  nations,  as  a  compensation  for  their 
individual  losses  and  services  during  the  late  war  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States.  The  only  man  of  the 
Kaughnawaugas  now  remaining  in  the  Oneida  country,  as 
well  as  some  few  very  meritorious  persons  of  the  Stock- 
bridge  Indians,  will  be  considered  in  the  distribution." 

The  other  articles  provided  for  the  erection  of  grist  and 
saw  mills,  with  the  employment  of  men  to  teach  the  Indians 
the  use  of  them,  and  for  the  erection  of  a  church  for  the 
Oneidas  instead  of  the  edifice  burnt  by  the  British.] 
II* 


li^'  SKETCHES   OF    ROCHESTER,  ETC. 


A    NEW    STATE    PROJECTED THE    LESSEES,    ETC, 

(Referred  to  in  the  Notices  of  Treaties.) 

1787.  The  unsettled  condition  of  affairs  about  the  close 
of  the  revolutionary  war  furnished  opportunity  for  the  par- 
tial execution  of  a  daring  project  with  reference  to  the  landa 
of  the  Six  Nations.  The  scheme  of  erecting  a  new  state 
from  this  western  portion  of  the  territory  of  New-York  was 
probably  suggested  or  encouraged  by  the  successful  efforts 
of  the  Green  Mountain  Boys,  in  forming  a  new  state  called 
Vermont  from  our  then  northeastern  counties  of  Cumberland 
and  Gloucester.  After  a  long  contest  with  New- York,  Ver- 
mont was,  in  1777,  declared  independent  of  this  state,  as 
well  as  of  Great  Britain,  by  a  solemn  act  of  its  inhabitants, 
who  nevertheless  joined  heartily  in  the  common  cause  of 
freedom  against  the  British  crown. 

It  was  during  the  years  1787-8  that  the  project  with 
reference  to  the  Indian  lands  of  Western  New-York  was 
partially  executed  by  an  association  of  citizens,  among 
whose  names  may  be  recognised  some  that  became  promi- 
nent in  the  subsequent  history  of  the  state.* 

This  scheme  for  the  creation  of  a  new  state  was  partially 
developed  by  the  contracts  made  with  the  Six  Nations  for 
leasing  most  of  their  territories  at  an  insignificant  annuity 
($2000  per  annum)  for  a  twelvemonth  short  of  a  thousand 
years  ! — the  calculation  obviously  being  that,  before  many 
of  the  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  years  should  have 
elapsed,  the  whites  would  have  so  multiplied  in  the  Indian 
land  as  to  bid  defiance  to  the  State  of  New-York,  as  well  as 
to  the  Red  Men  upon  whose  territories  they  were  encroach- 
ing under  the  specious  pretext  of  a  lease.  (The  law  for- 
bade any  purchase  from  the  Indians  without  leave  of  the 
lawful  authorities.) 

*  Remonstrances  from  Poughkeepsie,  Hudson,  and  other  places,  ex- 
press "  surprise,  anxiety,  and  concern  at  the  efforts  making  by  certain 
individuals  to  procure  from  the  Legislature  a  recognition  of  their  claims 
to  that  vast  and  valuable  tract  of  country  to  the  westward,  now  in  pos- 
session of  the  Indian  natives,  and  within  and  subject  to  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  state."  Fears  were  expressed  that  the  objects  of  those  Lessees 
tended  to  a  dismemberment  of  that  portion  of  the  state  from  the  juris- 
diction of  New- York,  &c.  It  is  asserted  in  the  Hudson  memorial  that 
secret  and  unwarrantable  means  had  been  employed  by  the  Lessees  in 
making  their  arrangements  with  some  of  the  Indians. 


THE    LANDS    OF   THE   SIX    NATIONS.  127 

But  the  Legislature  promptly  responded  to  the  warning 
of  Governor  George  Clinton  and  the  motion  of  Senator  Eg- 
bert Benson,  by  adopting  measures  for  counteracting  these 
schemes.  The  law  of  March,  1788,  strengthening  the  for- 
mer enactments  against  intruders  on  Indian  lands,  to  which 
the  jurisdictional  and  pre-emptive  rights  were  claimed  by 
this  state,  was  particularly  levelled  at  these  Lessees ;  and 
the  resolute  course  adopted  against  them,  the  Governor  being 
authorized  to  use  fire  and  sword  if  needful,  at  once  crushed 
the  adventurous  project  and  destroyed  the  embryo  state. 

The  new  law  recited  the  importance  of  preserving  amity 
with  the  Indians — of  preventing  frauds  upon  them,  and  of 
remedying  the  evils  often  occasioned  by  white  men  making 
contracts  with  the  Indians,  "  which  had  in  divers  instances 
been  productive  of  dangerous  frauds  and  animosities." 
With  these  views,  all  contracts  made  with  the  Indians  before 
October,  1775,  and  all  contracts  afterward,  unless  by  au- 
thority of  the  state,  were  pronounced  void  ;  and  all  persons 
were  forbidden  to  buy  or  sell  lands  under  such  unlawful 
contracts  with  the  Indians,  under  penalty  of  fine  and  impris- 
onment. Persons  offending  against  this  law,  by  settling  on 
waste  or  ungranted  lands  of  the  state  between  the  eastern 
line  of  lands  ceded  to  Massachusetts  and  the  Property  Line, 
were  to  be  considered  as  holding  by  a  foreign  title  against 
the  right  and  sovereignty  of  the  state ;  and  it  was  made  the 
duty  of  the  Governor  to  cause  all  such  persons  to  be  driven 
oflT  and  their  buildings  to  be  destroyed,  by  calling  out  any 
portion  of  the  military  force  of  the  state. 

The  Lessees,  thus  precluded  from  the  prosecution  of  their 
plans,  beset  the  Legislature  for  a  grant  of  land ;  and,  about 
five  years  after  the  passage  of  the  severe  act  by  which 
their  ambitious  or  avaricious  hopes  were  efi'ectually  crushed, 
they  succeeded  (1793)  in  obtaining  an  appropriation  of  ten 
miles  square,  to  be  located  at  the  discretion  of  the  surveyor- 
general.  Many  of  the  prominent  persons  in  this  business 
are  named  in  the  appropriation  law  ;  and  the  tract  selected 
for  their  use  by  the  surveyor-general  was  a  part  of  the  old 
Military  Tract  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state. 

The  Lessees  were  likewise  rewarded  with  some  townships 
by  Phelps  and  Gorham  for  services  rendered  in  facilitating 
the  arrangement  between  the  latter  and  the  Indians  respect- 
ing the  purchase  of  the  right  of  soil  in  the  land  for  which 
the  pre-emptive  right  had  been  bought  from  Massachusetts. 


Ijii  SKETCHES    OF   KOCHESTER,    ETC. 

Some  information  derived  from  Gen.  Vincent  Matthews, 
of  Rochester,  who  resided  in  Tioga  at  the  date  of  some  of 
these  transactions,  induced  us  to  examine  the  records  in  the 
public  offices  at  Albany  for  the  leases,  which,  as  they  have 
long  lain  unheeded,  may  be  quoted  here  as  curiosities  con- 
nected with  the  early  history  of  Western  New- York,  and 
not  altogether  irrelevant  here,  seeing  that  they  covered  the 
tract  whereon  the  City  of  Rochester  has  recently  sprung 
into  existence. 

It  will  be  seen  that,  after  "  consenting"  to  the  sale  made 
by  the  Indians  to  Phelps  and  Gorham,  the  Lessees  modified 
their  first  lease  (dated  30lh  November,  1787)  by  causing 
another  to  be  made  near  the  close  of  1788,  to  preserve  the 
appearance  of  a  claim  to  the  Indian  lands  extending  east- 
ward from  the  "Pre-emption  Line"  (the  east  boundary  of 
the  Massachusetts  lands)  to  the  "  Property  Line,"  as  the 
boundary  was  termed,  which  then  marked  the  eastern  limit 
of  the  "  Six  Nations"  in  this  state. 


The  Lessee  Contracts. — No.  1.  ^ 

1787.  An  agreement  made  on  the  30th  November,  1787, 
"  between  the  chiefs  or  sachems  of  the  Six  Nations  of  In- 
dians of  the  one  part,  and  John  Livingston,  Caleb  Benton, 
Peter  Ryckman,  John  Stevenson,  and  Ezekiel  Gilbert,  for 
themselves  and  their  associates,  of  the  County  of  Colum- 
bia and  State  of  New-York,  of  the  other  part,"  witnessed 
that  the  said  chiefs  or  sachems  of  the  Six  Nations,  on 
certain  considerations  afterward  mentioned,  leased  to  the 
said  John  Livingston  and  his  associates,  for  a  period  of  999 
years,  "  all  the  land  commonly  known  as  the  lands  of  the 
Six  Nations  in  the  State  of  New- York,  and  at  the  time  in 
the  actual  possession  of  the  said  chiefs  or  sachems."  From 
this  lease  was  excepted  any  tract  of  land  which  the  chiefs 
or  sachems  might  choose  to  reserve  for  themselves  and 
their  heirs — "  said  reservations  to  revert  to  the  Lessees  in 
case  they  should  afterward  be  relinquished  by  the  Indians," 
&c.  The  payments  to  be  made  by  the  Lessees  and  their  suc- 
cessors were  designated  as  "  a  yearly  rent  of  two  thousand 
Spanish  milled  dollars,  payable  on  the  4th  of  July  in  each 
year  of  the  999  for  which  the  lease  was  drawn."  Among 
the  signatures  of  Indians  attached  to  this  lease  are  the  marks 
of  Anayawas,  or  Farmer's  Brother,  Kyantwaka,  or  John 


THE    LANDS    OF    THE    SIX    NATIONS.  129 

Abeel,  Sigowaka,  or  Red  Jacket,  Little  Beard,  &c.  N. 
Eosecrantz,  George  Stimson,  Joseph  Smith,  and  Peter  Bor- 
til,  Jr.,  are  names  subscribed  as  witnesses. 

The  Lessee  Contracts. — No.  2. 
1788.  Whereas,  the  Six  Nations  of  Indians,  by  their 
sachems  and  warriors,  did,  by  a  certain  deed  bearing  date 
Nov.  30th,  1787,  lease  to  John  Livingston  and  his  associates 
all  the  tract  known  as  the  lands  of  the  Six  Nations  within 
the  State  of  New-York,  for  a  period  of  999  years,  at  an  an- 
nual rent  of  $2000  :  And  whereas,  at  a  treaty  held  at  Buf- 
falo Creek  with  all  the  aforesaid  Six  Nations,  in  presence  of 
their  superintendents,  the  said  Six  Nations,  by  their  chiefs, 
sachems,  and  warriors,  by  and  with  the  consent  and  agree- 
ment of  the  said  John  Livingston  and  his  associates,  granted 
and  sold  to  Oliver  Phelps  and  Nathaniel  Gorham,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, a  certain  seat  of  land  contained  within  the  afore- 
said demise  or  lease,  comprehended  within  that  part  of  the 
territory  of  the  said  Six  Nations  whereof  the  right  of  pre-emp- 
tion had  been  ceded  by  the  said  State  of  New-York  to  the 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  :  And  whereas  the  said 
Six  Nations  have  reserved  to  their  own  use  the  residue  of 
all  the  land  contained  within  the  said  part  whereof  the  right 
of  pre-emption  hath  been  ceded  as  aforesaid  :  And  whereas, 
from  the  aforementioned  sale  and  reservation,  there  remains 
subject  to  the  aforementioned  lease  all  the  other  lands  men- 
tioned and  contained  in  the  aforesaid  lease,  the  right  of  pre- 
emption whereof  hath  not  been  ceded  to  the  Commonwealth 
of  Massachusetts  as  aforesaid,  excepting  and  reserving  what 
is  hereinafter  excepted  and  reserved,  and  to  be  made  upon 
the  condition  hereinafter  mentioned,  to  wit :  First  excepting 
and  reserving  one  mile  square  near  the  outlet  of  the  Cayuga 
Lake,  and  one  of  the  Onondaga  salt-springs,  with  100  acres 
of  land  adjacent  to  the  same,  to  accommodate  the  same  with 
firewood  and  other  conveniences  ;  also  excepting  and  re- 
serving to  the  aforesaid  Indians  one  half  of  the  Falls,  and 
convenient  places  for  wiers  for  the  purpose  of  catching  fish 
and  eels  from  the  Cross  Lake  to  the  Three  Rivers:  also 
reserving  an  exclusive  right  to  one  of  the  salt-springs  near 
Onondaga,  with  fifty  or  one  hundred  acres  of  land  around 
the  same  for  firewood  and  other  conveniences  for  boiling 
salt,  together  with  an  equal  right  in  common  for  eeling  and 
fishing  so  far  as  to  the  Oneida  Lake.     All  which  reserva- 


SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

tions,  as  well  as  the  annual  rent  itself  hereafter  mentioned 
and  reserved  to  be  paid  to  the  said  Indians,  are  made  and 
given  upon  tliis  express  condition,  that  whenever  the  afore- 
said Indians  shall  part  or  dispose  of  the  same  or  any  of 
them,  then,  in  that  case,  the  New- York  Geneva  Company- 
shall  have  the  right  of  acquiring  the  same.  Wherefore 
know  yp.  That,  in  consideration  of  the  several  matters  above 
ment'oned,  and  of  the  sales,  exceptions,  and  reservations 
abovementioned,  whereby  the  lands  in  the  aforesaid  indenture 
contained  now  remaining  subject  to  the  aforesaid  lease  are 
greatly  reduced  in  quantity — We,  the  sachems,  chiefs,  and 
warriors  of  the  said  Six  Nations,  lessors  in  the  aforesaid 
demise,  have  exonerated  the  I^essees  and  their  assigns  for 
ever  from  the  payment  of  $1000,  or  one  equal  half  of  tl  e 
annual  rent  or  sum  of  money  in  the  aforesaid  indenture  re- 
served and  made  payable  to  the  Six  Nations.  (The  4th  of 
July,  1791,  was  fixed  as  the  day  for  the  commencement  of 
the  annual  payments  of  rent  under  the  lease  as  now  modified 
— payable  in  cattle,  at  reasonable  prices,  to  be  delivered  at 
Canadasago  [near  Geneva]  each  year  during  the  period  of 
the  lease.) 

With  these  alterations,  we,  the  same  sachems,  chiefs,  and 
warriors,  do,  by  these  presents,  hold  good  and  valid,  and  con- 
firm to  the  Lessees  the  aforesaid  demise  heretofore  made,  to 
all  intents  and  purposes,  during  the  term  and  continuance 
thereof,  &<;. 

This  lease  is  signed  by  several  chiefs  of  the  Oneidas, 
Onondagas,  Cayugas,  and  Senecas,  as  well  as  Mohawks. 
Among  the  Mohawks  appears  llie  signature  of  "Jos.  Brant 
Thayendanegea  ;"  and  the  names  attached  to  the  marks  X 
of  the  other  chiefs  appear  to  be  in  the  handwriting  of  that 
noted  Mohawk.  The  name  of  Red  Jacket  is  spelt  Shago- 
yeghwatha.  There  are  also  attached  the  names  of  seven 
of  the  "  chief  women."  'I'he  witnesses  were  Samuel  Kirk- 
land  the  missionary,  Jas.  Dean  the  interpreter,  Jos.  Brant, 
David  Smith,  Ben.  Barton,  M.  Hollenback,  Elisha  Lee,  and 
Ez.  Scott. 


Treaty  between  Phelps  and  Gorham  and  the  Six  Nations. 

(Referred  lo  in  the  previous  Notices.) 

1788.  The  conflicting  interests  of  New-York  and  Massa- 
chusetts having  been  reconciled  by  the  amicable  arrange- 
ment between  the  commissioners  of  both  states  at  the  close 


THE    LANDS    OF    THE    SIX    NATIONS.  131 

of  1786 — the  pre-emptive  right,  or  right  of  purchasing  the 
right  of  soil  from  the  Indian  occupants,  being  vested  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, while  the  sovereignty  was  conceded  to  New- 
York — the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts,  in  1787,  sold  the 
tract,  containing  about  six  millions  of  acres,  to  Oliver  Phelps 
and  Nathaniel  Gorham,  for  one  million  of  dollars,  payable  in 
three  instalments. 

The  pre-emptive  right  being  thus  secured,  Phelps  and  Gor- 
ham made  energetic  preparations  that  year  for  exploring  and 
surveying  their  great  purchase. 

Accordingly,  in  the  summer  of  1788,  Oliver  Phelps  left 
Granville,  Massachusetts,  with  men  and  means  adequate  to 
the  arduous  enterprise.  It  may  seem  strange  to  many  of 
the  million  who  are  now  revelling  in  the  comforts  and  pros- 
perity which  the  last  half-century  has  diffused  through  all 
Western  New-York,  that  the  course  of  Phelps  and  his  asso- 
ciates should  have  been  then  considered  so  hazardous,  that 
the  whole  neighbourhood  assembled  to  bid  them  adieu — a 
final  adieu  !  as  many  thought ;  for  it  seemed  a  desperate 
chance  that  any  of  that  intrepid  band  should  ever  return 
from  their  enterprise  through  a  region  to  which  the  Indian 
title  had  not  been  extinguished,  and  which  was  hardly  yet 
tranquillized  from  the  shocking  atrocities  that  marked  the 
savage  warfare  in  our  revolutionary  strife.  But  the  enter- 
prise was  in  truth  of  a  character  which  measurably  justified 
such  fears  in  his  neighbours,  as  the  reflecting  reader  may 
imagine,  and  as  the  history  of  the  limes  will  show. 

The  wilderness  was  successfully  penetrated  as  far  as 
Canandaigua,  about  130  miles  west  of  the  German  Flats  in 
Herkimer  county,  the  then  sparsely-settled  frontier  of  civi- 
lization. In  connexion  with  the  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland,  the 
well-known  missionary  among  the  Six  Nations,  and  a  com- 
missioner in  behalf  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  Mr. 
Phelps  succeeded  speedily  in  collecting  the  chiefs  and  war- 
riors of  those  tribes,  whose  warlike  spirit  still  rankled  with 
the  chastisement  inflicted  a  few  years  previously  by  the 
avenging  arms  of  Sullivan.  A  conference  was  held  with  the 
Red  Men  on  a  beautiful  acclivity  overlooking  Canandaigua 
Lake — where  the  romantic  scenery,  combined  with  the  in- 
teresting subject  of  deliberation,  and  the  warmth  with  which 
that  subject  was  discussed  by  such  chiefs  as  Red  Jacket  and 
Farmer's  Brother,  rendered  the  whole  scene  one  of  thrilling 
interest.  ...... 


132'  SKETCHES   OF   ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

The  great  object  of  this  remarkable  council  was  happily 
accomplished.  The  Indian  title  to  more  than  two  millions 
of  acres  (in  which  the  site  of  the  present  City  of  Rochester 
was  included  in  an  amusing  manner)*  was  extinguished, 
though  not  without  opposition  from  Red  Jacket,  which  threat- 
ened defeat  to  the  hopes,  if  not  destruction  to  the  lives,  of 
Phelps  and  his  associates.  The  critical  scene  may  be  ap- 
propriately delineated  here,  in  the  language  of  one  conversant 
with  the  subject,  as  quoted  from  an  article  printed  some 
years  ago  in  the  New-York  American. 

"  Two  days  had  passed  away  in  negotiation  with  the  In- 
dians for  a  cession  of  their  lands.  The  contract  was  sup- 
posed to  be  nearly  completed,  when  Red  Jacket  arose. 
With  the  grace  and  dignity  of  a  Roman  senator,  he  drew  his 
blanket  around  him,  and  with  a  piercing  eye  surveyed  the 
multitude.  All  was  hushed.  Nothing  interposed  to  break 
the  silence,  save  the  rustling  of  the  tree-tops  under  whose 
shade  they  were  gathered.  After  a  long  and  solemn,  but 
not  unmeaning  pause,  he  commenced  his  speech  in  a  low 
voice  and  sententious  style.  Rising  gradually  with  his  sub- 
ject, he  depicted  the  primitive  simplicity  and  happiness 
of  his  nation,  and  the  wrongs  they  had  sustained  from  the 
usurpations  of  the  white  man,  with  such  a  bold  but  faithful 
pencil,  that  the  Indian  auditors  were  soon  roused  to  ven- 
geance or  melted  into  tears. 

"  The  effect  was  inexpressible.  But,  ere  the  emotions  of 
admiration  and  sympathy  had  subsided,  the  white  men  be- 
came alarmed.  They  were  in  the  heart  of  an  Indian  coun- 
try, surrounded  by  more  than  ten  times  their  number,  who 
were  inflamed  by  the  remembrance  of  their  injuries,  and  ex- 
cited to  indignation  by  the  eloquence  of  a  favourite  chief. 
Appalled  and  terrified,  the  white  men  cast  a  cheerless  gaze 
upon  the  hordes  around  them.  A  nod  from  the  chiefs  might 
be  the  onset  of  destruction.  At  that  portentous  moment, 
Farmer's  Brother  interposed.  He  replied  not  to  his  brother 
chief;  but,  with  a  sagacity  truly  aboriginal,  he  caused  a  ces- 
sation of  the  council,  introduced  good  cheer,  commended  the 
eloquence  of  Red  Jacket,  and,  before  the  meeting  had  re- 
assembled, with  the  aid  of  other  prudent  chiefs,  he  had  mod- 

*  The  site  of  Rochester,  forming  part  of  the  tract  of  twelve  by  twenty- 
four  miles  bestowed  for  a  millyard !  (See  notices  of  the  "  Early  Millers 
of  the  Genesee,"  &c.  in  this  work.) 


THE    LANDS    OF   THE    SIX    NATIONS.  133 

erated  the  fury  of  his  nation  to  a  more  salutary  review  of 
the  question  before  them." 

The  reassemblage  of  the  council  in  cooler  blood  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  satisfactory  arrangement  of  the  treaty.  The 
inveterate  antipathy  of  Red  Jacket  to  the  white  man — a  feel- 
ing which  characterized  his  whole  life,  albeit  he  faithfully 
observed  treaties  when  once  formed,  however  much  he  op- 
posed their  formation — was  fortunately  neutralized  on  this 
occasion  by  Farmer's  Brother,  the  grand  sachem,  to  whose 
integrity  and  wisdom,  as  well  as  to  the  same  qualities  some- 
what differently  displayed  in  Red  Jacket,  strong  testimony 
is  borne  by  those  most  conversant  with  the  transactions  of 
the  Six  Nations. 

When  we  consider  the  present  condition  of  Western  New- 
York,  with  its  magnificent  improvements,  its  cities  and  towns, 
and  canals  and  railroads,  and  immense  agricultural  riches, 
improved  by  a  thrifty  and  enlightened  people — and  when  we 
reflect  on  what  might  have  been  the  results  had  the  settle- 
ment of  this  region  been  retarded  by  the  influence  of  Red 
Jacket  with  the  Indian  Confederacy  which  then  ranged  these 
regions  as  their  hunting-grounds,  we  may  well  consider  this 
council  at  Canandaigua,  with  reference  not  merely  to  the 
improvement  of  this  state,  but  to  the  whole  of  the  great  West, 
to  which  this  region  is  now  the  principal  thoroughfare,  as 
one  of  the  most  important  events  in  our  Indian  history. 

Some  interesting  facts  connected  with  the  operations  of 
Phelps  and  Gorhain  are  annexed,  from  the  sketches  prefixed 
to  the  Rochester  Directory  for  1827  (published  by  Everard 
Peck  and  Elisha  Ely). 

"  After  the  treaty,  Mr.  Phelps  surveyed  the  land  into 
tracts,  denominated  Ranges,  running  north  and  south,  and 
subdivided  the  ranges  into  tracts  of  six  miles  square,  denom- 
inated Townships,  and  designated  each  by  numbers,  begin- 
ning to  number  both  ranges  and  townships  at  the  82d  mile- 
stone, in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  tract  [now  the  southeast 
corner  of  Steuben  county],  numbering  the  townships  north- 
wardly to  the  lake  from  one  to  fourteen,  and  the  ranges 
westwardly  from  one  to  seven.  Thus,  Bath  is  designated 
as  township  number  four,  in  the  third  range ;  Canandaigua 
as  township  number  ten,  in  the  third  range  ;  Pittsford  as 
number  twelve,  in  the  fifth  range  ;  and  Brighton  as  number 

.;     .         18.,  _        . 


134  SKETCHES    OF   ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

thirteen,  in  the  seventh  range  of  townships,  in  Gorham  and 
Phelps's  Purchase. 

"  As  the  Genesee  River  runs  about  24°  east  of  north  be- 
low Avon,  and  Mr.  Phelps  coniinued  his  seventh  range  of 
townships  to  the  lake,  the  fifth  range  was  left  to  contain  but 
twelve,  and  the  sixth  range  but  ten  townships  ;  and,  in  order 
to  square  the  tract  lying  west  of  Genesee  River,  he  set  off 
two  townships  near  the  lake,  which  he  called  the  Short 
Range,  now  comprising  the  towns  of  Gates  and  Greece  [and 
part  of  Rochester]  ;  and  the  present  towns  of  Caledonia, 
Wheatland,  Chili,  Riga,  Ogden,  and  Parma,  being  then  four 
townships,  he  called  the  first  range  of  townships  west  of 
Genesee  River,  in  Gorham  and  Phelps's  Purchase. 

"'J'his  tract  formed  the  counties  of  Ontario  and  Steuben 
for  many  years,  until  1821,  when  Monroe  and  Livingston 
counties  were  formed,  except  that  part  of  it  lying  west  of 
the  river,  which  was  annexed  to  the  county  of  Genesee  at 
its  organization  in  1802,  and  the  south  part  of  the  seventh 
range  set  off  from  Steuben  to  Allegany. 

"In  1789,  Oliver  Phelps  opened  a  land-office  in  Canan- 
daigua — this  was  the  first  land-office  in  America  for  the  sale 
of  her  forest-lands  to  settlers  ;  and  the  system  which  he 
adopted  for  the  survey  of  his  lands,  by  townships  and  ranges, 
became  a  model  for  the  manner  of  surveying  all  the  new 
lands  in  the  United  States  ;  and  the  method  of  making  his 
retail  sales  to  settlers  by  articles  has  also  been  adopted  by 
all  the  other  land-offices  of  individual  proprietorships  that 
have  followed  after  him. 

"  The  Article  was  a  new  device,  of  American  origin,  un- 
known in  the  English  system  of  conveyancing  ;  granting  the 
possession,  but  not  the  fee  of  the  land  ;  facilitating  the  fre- 
quent changes  among  new  settlers,  enabling  them  to  sell  out 
their  improvements  and  transfer  their  possession  by  assign- 
ment, and  securing  tlie  reversion  of  the  possession  to  the 
proprietor  where  they  abandoned  the  premises.  His  land- 
sales  were  allodial ;  and  the  other  land-offices  following  his 
example,  have  rendered  the  Genesee  farmers  all  fee-simple 
landholders,  which  has  increased  the  value  of  the  soil  and 
the  enterprise  of  the  people. 

"  Oliver  Phelps  may  be  considered  the  Cecrops  of  the 
Genesee  country.  Its  inhabitants  owe  a  mausoleum  to  his 
memory,  in  gratitude  for  his  having  pioneered  for  them  the 
wilderness  of  this  Canaan  of  the  West." 


THE    LANDS   OP   THE    SIX   NATIONS.  135 

In  connexion  with  the  foregoing  remarks  upon  the  lands  of 
Western  New-York,  it  may  be  well  to  notice 

The  Controversy  with  Connecticut. 

Between  Connecticut  and  New- York,  as  between  Massa- 
chusetts and  New- York,  disputes  respecting  boundary  arose 
at  an  early  period.  These  disputes  were  arranged  in  1733, 
as  was  generally  supposed,  by  an  agreement  for  running  be- 
tween the  colonies  a  line  parallel  with  and  twenty  miles 
eastward  of  the  Hudson  River.  But  this  arrangement  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  considered  by  Connecticut  as  inval- 
idating a  claim  to  lands  extending  westward  within  a  prolon- 
gation of  the  latitudinal  lines  which  form  her  northern  and 
southern  boundaries.  The  charter  of  Connecticut,  like  that 
of  Massachusetts,  included  territory  from  sea  to  sea — from 
Atlantic  to  Pacific.  The  map  will  show  how  such  claims 
would  have  swept  through  New- York,  Pennsylvania,  &c. 
As  the  arrangement  with  Massachusetts  has  been  fully  allu^ 
ded  to,  it  may  not  be  thought  irrelevant  to  notice  the  trans- 
actions between  New- York  and  Connecticut  on  the  subject. 

The  revival  of  the  claim  by  Connecticut  in  1750  produced 
some  difficulty  about  the  period  of  the  revolutionary  war. 
The  claim  covered  much  of  the  southern  portion  of  New- 
York,  the  northern  part  of  Pennsylvania,  and  thence  west- 
ward, including  what  is  now  known  as  the  Connecticut  Re- 
serve in  Ohio.  In  consonance  with  this  claim,  a  colony 
from  Connecticut  settled  on  a  tract  lying  beside  the  Susque- 
hannah,  within  the  limits  of  Pennsylvania.  The  tragical 
fate  of  this  colony  has  rendered  Wyoming  celebrated  in  his- 
tory and  song.  The  controversy  between  Connecticut  and 
Pennsylvania,  which  continued  from  1750  down  to  a  recent 
period,  was  finally  settled  in  favour  of  the  latter,  under  con- 
ciliations and  restrictions  determined  by  special  acts  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Legislature  and  the  decisions  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  Union. — (Am.  Enc.) 

Settlements  under  Connecticut  grants  were  also  made 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  State  of  New-York,  on  a  nar- 
row strip  of  land  along  the  northern  boundary  of  Pennsylva- 
nia. The  people  of  this  state,  having  amicably  arranged  a 
similar  difficulty  with  Massachusetts,  were  not  disposed  to 
permit  a  continuance  of  the  claims  of  Connecticut  after  the 
arrangement  of  boundary  made  in  1733,  and  after  Connecti- 
cut {in  common  with  Pennsylvania)  had  refused  to  contribute 


-^^SB  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

any  share  of  the  expenses  incurred  by  intercourse  with  the 
Six  Nations  in  the  French  war — the  Legislature  of  Connec- 
ticut having  declared  in  1746  that  it  was  "  unreasonable  for 
New- York,  to  expect  from  them  the  assistance  desired,  inas- 
much as  those  Indians  were  within  the  territory  and  govern- 
ment of  New-York." — (Smith's  Hist.)  The  feelings  with 
which  the  claims  of  Connecticut  were  viewed  by  the  Legis- 
lature of  New- York  are  sufficiently  indicated  by  the  pre- 
amble and  provisions  of  the  law  of  March,  1796. 

After  stating  that  "  certain  persons,  under  pretence  of  title 
derived  from  a  quit-claim  grant  from  the  State  of  Connecti- 
cut, for  a  considerable  extent  of  territory  within  this  state, 
endeavoured,  by  various  improper  practices,  to  draw  into 
question  the  jurisdiction  of  this  state  over  the  said  territory, 
excite  opposition  to  the  lawful  authority  thereof,  and  defame 
the  titles  of  persons  holding  lands  by  grants  from  the  colony 
or  State  of  New- York,"  the  law  provided  that,  if  any  person 
should  intrude  or  settle  upon  lands  in  this  state,  under  titles 
derived  froni  Connecticut  by  reason  of  the  claim  above-men- 
tioned, such  persons  should  be  deenied  as  holding  such  lands 
by  a  foreign  title  against  the  sovereignty  of  this  state  ;  that 
the  Governor  should  take  prompt  measures  for  removing  all 
such  intruders  and  destroying  their  buildings  ;  and  that  he 
should  be  authorized  to  call  out  the  militia  for  the  purpose, 
if  necessary.  Fine  and  imprisonment  were  denounced  against 
persons  who  should  buy  or  sell  any  grants  under  this  claim 
of  Connecticut,  with  the  addition  that  any  citizen  of  New- 
York  so  offending  should  be  disabled  for  ever  from  electing 
or  being  elected  to  any  office  or  trust  within  the  state.  The 
sheriffs  of  Otsego,  Tioga,  and  Ontario  were  specially  charged 
to  report  to  the  Governor  the  names  of  all  offenders  within 
their  limits,  which  then  swept  along  the  north  line  of  Penn- 
sylvania to  Lake  Erie.  It  was  likewise  provided  that  the 
Governor  should  direct  the  attorney-general  to  defend  all 
suits  which  might  be  instituted  against  any  of  our  citizens  by 
persons  claiming  under  the  pretended  right  of  Connecticut. 

Suits  were  instituted  by  the  Connecticut  claimants,  not 
in  the  tribunals  of  this  state,  but  in  the  United  States  Court 
at  Hartford.  This  movement  was  encountered  by  a  severe 
law  on  the  part  of  the  New- York  Legislature,  passed  in 
August,  1798,  to  the  effect  that, 

"As  evil-minded  persons,  under  pretence  of  authority 
from  other  states  or  from  the  general  government  of  the 


THE    LANDS    OF   THE    SIX   NATIONS.  137 

United  States,  to  serve  process  within  the  State  or  District  of 
New- York,  had  excited  disturbances  among  the  citizens  of 
this  state  ;  and  as  much  mischief  is  apprehended  from  such 
practices  by  means  that  our  citizens  are  called  out  of  their 
proper  jurisdiction  to  answer  such  illegal  processes,  and  may 
be  much  harassed  in  defending  the  same ;  and  as  the  entire 
jurisdiction  of  this  state  ought  to  be  preserved  and  respect- 
ed— 

"  Therefore,  persons  executing  such  process  were  declared 
guilty  of  high  misdemeanour  (should  they  presume  to  come 
within  the  state  without  authority  from  the  United  States), 
subject  to  the  state  prison  for  seven  years,  at  hard  labour  or 
solitude,  or  both,  at  the  discretion  of  the  court ;  and,  to  cause 
the  law  to  be  rigidly  enforced,  any  citizen  of  the  stale  sliould 
be  paid  ^500  for  causing  the  apprehension  of  each  transgres- 
sor." 

The  suits  brought  in  the  United  States  Court  for  Con- 
necticut District,  sitting  at  Hartford,  were  quashed  after  ar- 
guments from  Gen.  Hamilton  and  Colonel  Burr  denying  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  court.  Lawrence  Parsons  and  Pierpont 
Edwards  were  the  counsel  for  Connecticut. 

But,  though  the  question  was  thus  disposed  of  on  techni- 
cal grounds  rather  than  on  its  merits,  it  was  not  revived  in 
the  face  of  the  severe  penalties  denounced  by  the  Stale  of 
New- York  against  any  persons  within  our  limits  who  should 
attempt  to  carry  out  the  views  of  Connecticut  upon  the  dis- 
puted territory. 

In  connexion  with  this  subject,  it  may  be  added,  that  the 
Connecticut  delegates  in  Congress  in  1786,  by  authority  of 
their  state  legislature,  relinquished  all  claim  under  their 
colonial  charter  to  lands  lying  west  of  a  north  and  south 
line  120  miles  west  of  the  west  boundary-line  of  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania,  "  as  now  claimed  by  that  state  :"  the  space 
included  in  that  distance,  and  between  the  same  parallels  of 
latitude  that  formed  the  north  and  south  boundaries  of  Con- 
necticut Proper,  was  afterward  known  as  the  Western  Re- 
serve ;  and  the  sales  of  land  in  which  tract,  containing 
3,300,000  acres,  enabled  Connecticut  to  boast  of  her  ample 
school-fund. 

But  the  terms  of  this  cession  were  not  satisfactory  to 

Congress.     Serious  controversies  having  been  continued,  as 

we  have  seen,  by  the  claims  which  Connecticut  could,  not 

inconsistently  with  that  cession,  put  forth  against  states  lying 

12* 


HSm  SKKTClIliS    or    UOCHESTint,    ETC. 

between  her  own  proper  boundaries  (agreed  on  in  1733) 
and  the  lerrilory  which  slie  reserved  west  of  Pennsylvania. 
By  an  act  of  April,  1800,  Congress  significantly  autiiorized 
the  President  to  release  all  claims  of  the  United  .States  to 
the  soil  of  the  VV^estern  Reserve,  on  condition  that  Connec- 
ticut should  for  ever  relinquish  all  claim  of  jurisdiction  over 
all  lands  west,  northwest,  or  southwest  of  the  boundary-line 
agreed  on  in  1733  between  New-York  and  Connecticut.  In 
the  same  year  the  Legislature  of  Connecticut  promptly  com- 
plied with  the  suggestions  of  Congress,  renouncing  all  ter- 
ritorial and  jurisdictional  claim  whatever  to  any  lands  west 
of  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  Stale  of  New- York,  excepting 
only  from  this  renunciation  the  claim  to  the  soil  of  the  West- 
ern Reserve,  the  jurisdiction  of  which  reserve  was  also 
ordered  to  be  formally  released  to  the  United  States,  and 
Avas  afterward  vested  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  of  which  state 
this  reserve  forms  the  northeastern  part. 

And  Virginia  having  previously  surrendered  all  her  large 
claims,  thus  peaceably  was  terminated  all  controversy  be- 
tween individual  states  and  the  United  States  respecting  the 
invaluable  region  northwest  of  the  Ohio — a  region  in  which 
new  states  have  arisen  with  a  vigour  and  suddenness  indic- 
ative of  the  energy  of  our  countrymen  and  the  excellence 
of  our  institutions.  Thus  was  formed  the  arrangement  by 
which  Connecticut,  like  Massachusetts,  relinquished  politi- 
cal jurisdiction  over  regions  through  which  their  emigrant 
sons  have  largely  aided  in  founding  states  wherein  the  moral 
INFLUENCE  OF  New-England  will  be  felt  when  time  shall 
have  swept  other  empires  from  the  earth. 


Statement  relative  to  Indian  Annuities  now  'payable  by  the  State  oj 
New-York,  furnished  by  A.  C.  Flagg,  tlie  Comptroller. 
Oneida  Nation,         ....      $5169  28 

1  Christian  Party  of  same,         .         .         1322  43 

2  "  "  "  .         .  120  85 
Pagan  Party              "                  .         .  332  48 


$6945  04 


Onondagas  residing  at  Onondaga,     .  1430  00 

"  "         at  Buffalo,         .         1000  00 

2430  00 

Cayugas, 2300  00 

Senecas, 500  00 

Posterity  of  Fish-carrier,  a  Cayuga  chief,          .  50  00 

St.  Regis  Indians,    .      ..,_•.,         -    .     ^  ,.     .  -  2398  33 

Brothertown  Indians,     -.''■';     -    .         i- '"'''.  2142  79 

Stockbridge      «              .        ;  '^     .        t        .  371  00 


SUBDIVISIONS  OF  WESTERN  NEW-YORK. 


THE  HOLLAND  PURCHASE. 


Some  of  the  most  important  arrangements  of  the  tract 
transferred  by  Massachusetts  to  Phelps  and  Gorham  (in- 
cUiding  the  site  of  the  City  of  Rochester)  are  traced  in  the 
following  "  Deduction  of  Titles  to  the  several  Tracts  of  Land 
in  the  State  of  New-York  composing  the  section  of  country 
called  the  Holland  Purchase,"  furnished  by  authority  of  the 
Company  some  years  ago. 

The  present  importance  of  the  territory  may  render  this 
information  generally  interesting,  while,  for  purposes  of  ref- 
erence, the  statements  imbodied  here  may  save  many  from 
the  trouble  of  seeking  it  in  a  less  accessible  form  : — 

The  title  to  a  large  portion  of  the  territory  within  the  now 
acknowledged  limits  of  the  State  of  New-York,  including 
the  whole  of  the  Genesee  country,  was  a  subject  of  contro- 
versy between  the  provinces  of  New- York  and  Massachu- 
setts, both  as  to  the  right  of  property  and  he  right  of  juris- 
diction, prior  to  the  revolution — the  disputed  territory  being 
claimed  by  each  province  in  virtue  of  ancient  grants  and 
charters  under  the  crown  of  England. 

King  James  I.,  in  1620,  granted  to  the  Plymouth  Com- 
pany a  tract  of  land  called  New-England,  running  through 
the  continent  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  ;  part 
of  which,  also  extending  to  the  Pacific,  was  granted  to  Sir 
Henry  Roswell  and  his  associates,  called  the  Massachusetts 
Bay  Company. 

The  first  charter  of  Massachusetts,  granted  by  King 
Charles  I.  in  1628,  appears  to  have  been  vacated  by  quo 
warranto  in  1684.  A  second  charter  was  granted  by  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  in  1691,  in  which  the  territorial  limits  of  the 
province,  although  differently  bounded,  are  also  made  to  ex- 
tend westwardly  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  -  - 


140  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,  ETC 

The  Province  of  New- York  was  granted  in  1663  by 
Charles  II.  to  the  Duke  of  York  and  Albany  (afterward 
King  James  II.),  who  subsequently  granted  to  Berkeley  and 
Carteret  the  Province  of  New-Jersey.  The  remainder  of 
the  country  comprehended  in  the  grant  of  King  Charles  II. 
constituted  the  Province  of  New-York,  which  always  claimed 
to  extend  her  limits,  both  as  to  the  right  of  property  and  ju- 
risdiction, as  far  north  as  the  bounds  of  Canada. 

Of  the  territory  which,  by  the  treaty  of  peace  of  1783, 
was  ceded  by  Great  Britain  to  the  United  States  in  their  col- 
lective capacity,  each  of  the  individual  states  claimed  such 
portions  as  were  comprehended  within  their  original  grants 
or  charters. 

Massachusetts  consequently  laid  claim  to  a  strip  of  land 
extending  to  the  westerly  bounds  of  the  United  States,  thus 
dividing  the  Slate  of  New- York  into  two  parts. 

The  Legislature  of  Massachusetts,  by  two  acts  passed 
13th  November,  1784,  and  17th  March,  1785,  authorized  a 
cession  by  their  delegates  in  Congress  to  the  United  States 
of  such  parts  of  the  territory  between  the  Hudson  and  Mis- 
sissippi Rivers  as  the  delegates  might  think  proper  ;  under 
which  authority  a  deed  of  cession  was  executed  by  the  del- 
egates on  the  18th  of  April,  1785. 

By  this  deed  all  the  territory  lying  westward  of  a  merid- 
ian line  to  be  drawn  from  the  latitude  of  forty-five  degrees 
north,  through  the  most  westerly  bend  of  Lake  Ontario,  or 
a  meridian  line  drawn  through  a  point  twenty  miles  due 
west  from  the  most  westerly  bend  of  the  Niagara  River 
(which  ever  line  should  be  found  to  be  most  to  the  west), 
was  ceded  to  the  United  States. 

The  State  of  New- York  had  previously  limited  her  west- 
ern boundary  to  the  same  line — an  instrument  to  that  effect, 
dated  1st  March,  1781,  having  been  executed  by  her  dele- 
gates in  Congress,  under  the  authority  of  an  act  passed  19th 
February,  1780. 

The  acceptance  of  these  cessions  by  the  United  States 
may  be  considered  as  a  full  recognition  of  the  rights  of  Mas- 
sachusetts and  New-York  to  such  of  the  territories  within 
the  limits  of  their  respective  charters  as  were  not  included 
in  the  cessions  ;  but  the  interfering  claims  of  the  two  states 
as  to  those  territories  being  left  still  unsettled,  they  were 
brought  under  the  cognizance  of  Congress  in  pursuance  of 
the  articles  of  confederation,  and  a  court  was  instituted  to 


SUBDIVISIONS    OF    WESTERN   NEW- YORK.  141 

decide  thereon  according  to  the  provisions  of  the  ninth  arti- 
cle :  But  no  decision  was  made  by  that  tribunal,  the  con- 
troversy being  finally  settled  by  the  convention  between  the 
two  states,  concluded  at  Hartford  on  the  16ih  of  December, 
1786. 

By  this  arrangement  Massachusetts  ceded  to  New-York 
all  claim  to  the  government,  sovereignty,  and  jurisdiction  of 
the  lands  in  controversy  ;  and  New-York  ceded  to  Massa- 
chusetts and  to  her  grantees,  and  to  their  heirs  and  assigns 
for  ever,  the  right  of  pre-emption  of  the  soil  from  the  native 
Indians,  and  all  other  the  estate,  right,  title,  and  properly  of 
New- York,  except  the  right  and  title  of  government,  sover- 
eignty, and  jurisdiction  (among  others)  to  all  the  lands  within 
the  following  limits  and  bounds,  viz.  :  "  Beginning  in  the 
north  boundary-line  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  in  the  par- 
allel of  forty-two  degrees  of  north  latitude,  at  a  point  distant 
eighty-two  miles  west  from  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania,  on  Delaware  River,  as  the  said 
boundary-line  has  been  run  and  marked  by  the  commission- 
ers appointed  by  the  States  of  Pennsylvania  and  New- York 
respectively,  and  from  the  said  point  or  place  of  beginning 
running  on  a  due  meridian  north  to  the  boundary-line  be- 
tween the  United  States  of  America  and  the  King  of  Great 
Britain  ;  thence  westerl}'  and  southerly  along  the  said  bound- 
ary-line to  a  meridian  which  will  pass  one  mile  due  east 
from  the  northern  termination  of  the  strait  or  waters  between 
Lake  Ontario  and  Lake  Erie ;  thence  south  along  the  said 
meridian  to  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Ontario ;  thence  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  said  strait,  by  a  line  always  one 
mile  distant  from  the  parallel  to  the  said  strait  to  Lake  Erie  ; 
thence  due  west  to  the  boundary-line  between  the  United 
States  and  the  King  of  Great  Britain  ;  thence  along  the  said 
boundary-line  until  it  meets  with  the  line  of  cession  from  the 
State  of  New- York  to  the  United  States  ;  thence  along  the 
said  line  of  cession  to  the  northwestern  corner  of  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania  ;  and  thence  east  along  the  northern  bound- 
ary-line of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  to  the  said  place  of  be- 
ginning." 

The  meridian  line  which  forms  the  eastern  boundary  of 
this  cession  passes  through  the  Seneca  Lake ;  so  that, 
within  the  limits  of  the  ceded  territory,  as  defined  in  the 
foregoing  account,  are  comprehended  all  the  lands  at  any 


Klf        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

time  owned  or  claimed  by  the  Holland  Land  Company,  in 
the  western  part  of  the  State  of  New-York. 

The  State  of  Massachusetts,  by  a  resolve  of  the  Legislature 
passed  1st  April,  1788,  contracted  to  sell  to  Oliver  Phelps 
and  Nathaniel  Gorham  the  right  of  pre-emption  in  all  the 
tract  of  country  ceded  by  the  Convention  of  the  16th  of  De- 
cember, 1786.  On  the  Sih  of  July,  1788,  Gorham  and 
Phelps  made  a  treaty  with  the  Indians,  by  which  the  Indian 
claim  to  a  part  of  the  ceded  territory  was  released  to  Gor- 
ham and  Phelps. 

The  part  so  released  is  thus  described  in  the  treaty — 
"Beginning  in  the  northern  boundary-line  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  in  the  parallel  of  42°  N.,  at  a  point  distant 
82  miles  from  the  northeast  corner  of  Pennsylvania  on 
Delaware  River ;  thence  running  west  upon  the  said  line  to 
a  meridian  passing  through  the  point  of  land  made  by  the 
confluence  of  the  Shanahasgwaikon  [or  Canaseraga]  Creek 
with  the  waters  of  the  Genesee  River;  thence  north  along 
the  said  meridian  to  the  point  last  mentioned  ;  thence  north- 
wardly along  the  waters  of  the  Genesee  River  to  a  point 
two  miles  north  of  Canawagus  village  [near  Avon]  ;  thence 
due  west  12  miles ;  thence  in  a  direction  northwardly  so 
as  to  be  12  miles  distant  from  the  most  westward  bend  of 
the  Genesee  River  to  Lake  Ontario  ;  thence  eastwardly  along 
the  said  lake  to  a  meridian  which  will  pass  through  the  place 
of  beginning,  and  thence  south  along  the  said  meridian  to  the 
place  of  beginning." 

This  tract  was  confirmed  to  Gorham  and  Phelps  by  an 
act  of  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts,  passed  21st  No- 
vember, 1788. 

Gorham  and  Phelps  having  afterward  failed  to  fulfil  the 
terms  of  their  contract,  on  the  15th  of  February,  1790,  made 
proposals  in  writing  to  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts, 
offering  to  surrender  two  thirds  in  quantity  and  value  of  the 
whole  of  the  contracted  lands — two  of  their  three  bonds  for 
£100,000  each  (given  for  the  purchase-money)  being  can- 
celled— the  tract  released  by  the  Indians  was  to  be  retained 
by  Gorham  and  Phelps,  although  the  contents  should  exceed 
one  third  of  the  whole,  and  in  such  case  the  surplus  was  to 
be  paid  for  in  money,  at  the  average  price  of  the  whole. 

Further  proposals  were  submitted  by  Gorham  and  Phelps 
on  the'  26ih  February  and  on  the  1st  March,  1790,  which, 
taken  together,  were  accepted  by  the  Legislature,  but  reserv- 


SUBDIVISIONS   OF   WESTERN   NEW- YORK.  143 

ing  to  themselves  the  right  of  accepting  in  preference,  at  any 
time  within  one  year,  the  previous  proposals  of  15th  Febru- 
ary, 1790.  An  indenture  was  accordingly  entered  into  be- 
tween Massachusetts  and  Gorham  and  Phelps,  dated  9th 
June,  1790,  by  which,  after  reciting  the  proposals  of  15th 
and  26th  of  February,  and  1st  of  March,  1790,  and  the 
proceedings  of  the  Legislature  thereon,  Gorham  and  Phelps 
released  to  Massachusetts  two  equal  undivided  third  parts 
of  the  whole  tract  of  country  ceded  by  New- York — provided 
that,  in  the  partition  thereof,  Gorham  and  Phelps's  one  third 
should  be  assigned  to  them  within  the  limits  of  their  pur- 
chase of  the  Indians  ;  and  that,  if  that  purchase  should  in- 
clude more  than  one  third  of  the  whole,  they  (Gorham  and 
Phelps)  should  pay  for  the  surplus.  The  deed  contained  also 
covenants  for  the  purchase  by  Gorham  and  Phelps  of  two 
fourths  of  the  two  thirds  so  released  pursuant  to  the  propo- 
sals of  26th  February,  1790  ;  but  it  was  nevertheless  pro- 
vided and  mutually  agreed,  that  Massachusetts  or  her  as- 
signs should  and  might,  at  any  time  within  one  year  next 
ensuing  the  5th  day  of  March  then  last  past,  assume  and 
hold  (giving  notice  thereof  to  Gorham  and  Phelps)  the  whole 
of  the  two  third  parts  of  the  lands  thereby  released,  subject 
only  to  the  claims  of  Gorham  and  Phelps  to  the  said  surplus, 
according  to  the  proposals  of  the  15th  February,  1790.  In 
pursuance  of  the  right  thus  reserved  to  Massachusetts,  the 
Legislature,  by  a  concurrent  resolution,  passed  in  the  Senate 
on  the  17th,  and  in  the  House  of  Representatives  on  the  18th 
of  February,  1791,  declared  their  election  that  the  two  third 
parts  of  said  lands  should  remain  the  exclusive  property  of 
the  commonwealth,  of  which  resolution  notice  was  given  to 
Gorham  and  Phelps  on  the  19th  February,  1791,  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth.  It  is  understood  that  the 
tract  described  in  the  Indian  release  exceeded  both  in  quan- 
tity and  value  one  third  of  the  whole  territory.  That  tract, 
with  the  exception  of  the  parts  sold,  and  two  townships  re- 
served by  Gorham  and  Phelps,  was  subsequently  sold  by 
them  to  Robert  Morris,  and  is  described  in  the  conveyance, 
dated  18th  November,  1790,  as  containing  2,100,000  acres. 
The  whole  transaction  in  relation  to  Gorham  and  Phelps's 
purchase  was  finally  settled  by  an  indenture  entered  into  be- 
tween them  and  Massachusetts,  dated  10th  March,  1791 — in 
pursuance  of  which,  the  balance  due  from  Gorham  and  Phelps, 
in  respect  to  their  retained  portion  of  the  entire  territory, 


1^'  SKETCHES   OF    ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

was  paid  on  the  6th  April,  1813,  and  entered  in  the  treasu- 
rer's books. 

By  a  concurrent  resolution  of  the  Legislature  of  Massa- 
chusetts, passed  on  the  8th  March,  1791,  and  duly  approved 
by  the  Governor,  a  committee  of  each  branch  was  appointed, 
with  power  to  negotiate  a  sale  to  Samuel  Ogden  of  all  the 
lands  ceded  to  that  state  by  the  Stale  of  New  York,  except- 
ing such  parts  thereof  as  had  been  previously  granted  to  the 
United  States,  and  such  parts  thereof  as  then  belonged  to 
Nathaniel  Gorham  and  Oliver  Phelps,  their  heirs  or  as- 
signs, by  virtue  of  any  grant  or  confirmation  of  the  Common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts,*  and  reserving  one  equal  undivi- 
ded sixtieth  part  of  the  unexccpted  lands. f  The  committee 
was  composed  of  Samuel  Phillips,  Nathaniel  Wells,  David 
Cobb,  William  Eustis,  and  Thomas  Davis,  who,  in  pursu- 
ance of  the  powers  thus  delegated  to  them,  concluded,  and, 
on  the  12th  of  March,  1791,  entered  into,  and  executed  a 
written  contract  of  sale,  in  the  form  of  an  indenture,  with 
Samuel  Ogden,  by  which,  on  behalf  of  Massachusetts,  they 
covenanted,  upon  the  terms  and  conditions  therein  specified, 
to  convey  to  him  or  his  assigns  all  the  estate  and  interest 
of  that  commonwealth  in  the  lands  referred  to  in  the  forego- 
ing resolution. 

In  pursuance  of  this  contract,  the  above-named  commit- 
tee, by  deed-poll  dated  11th  May,  1791,  conveyed  to  Robert 
"Morris,  as  the  assignee  under  Samuel  Ogden  of  the  cove- 
nants contained  in  the  deed  of  the  12th  March,  1791,  a  tract 
of  land  containing  about  500,000  acres,  bounded  westerly 
by  a  meridian  line  drawn  from  a  point  in  the  north  line  of 
Pennsylvania,  distant  twelve  miles  west  from  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  land  confirmed  to  Nathaniel  Gorham  and  Oli- 

*  The  first  of  these  exceptions  refers  probably  to  the  cession  of  the 
19th  April,  1785,  by  which  Massachusetts  ceded  to  the  United  States 
all  her  claims  to  lands  lying  west  of  a  meridian  line  to  be  drawn  from 
lat.  46°  N.  through  the  most  westerly  bend  of  Lake  Ontario.  The 
second  exception  refers  to  a  tract  of  land  within  the  bounds  of  the  ter- 
ritory ceded  by  New- York,  which  had  been  previously  granted  and  con- 
'firmed  to  Gorham  and  Phelps. 

t  This  reserved  sixtieth  part  was  afterward  conveyed  to  Robert  Mor- 
ris by  the  State  of  Massachusetts.  This  reservation,  in  the  original 
sale  to  Morris,  was  caused  by  a  contract  made  by  Gorham  and  Phelps 
(prior  to  the  surrender  of  their  claims  to  Massachusetts)  for  the  sale  of 
one  sixtieth  of  the  entire  territory  to  John  Butler.  Butler  subsequently 
assigned  his  right  to  this  one  sixtieth  to  Robert  Morris,  who  was  thus 
enabled  to  acquire  a  title  from  Massachusetts, 


SUBDIVISIONS    OF    WESTERN    NEW- YORK.  145 

ver  Phelps,  to  the  line  in  Lake  Ontario  which  divides  the 
dominions  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  ;  northerly 
by  said  dividing  line  ;  easterly  by  land  confirmed  to  Gor- 
ham  and  Phelps ;  and  southerly  by  the  north  line  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

This  tract  forms  no  part  of  the  land  subsequently  pur- 
chased of  Robert  Morris,  for  the  benetit  of  the  Holland  Land 
Company  ;  but  as  its  westerly  bounds  form  the  easterly 
bounds  of  those  purchases,  it  is  so  far  connected  with  the 
Company's  title. 

The  lands  of  the  Holland  Land  Company  are  embraced 
in  four  deeds  of  conveyance  executed  to  Robert  Morris  by 
the  above-named  committee,  all  dated  11th  of  May,  1791, 
each  reciting  the  contract  with  Samuel  Ogden,  as  contained 
in  the  instrument  of  the  12Lh  March,  1791,  together  with  his 
release  of  the  covenants  contained  in  that  instrument,  and 
his  agreement  that  the  lands  therein  described  should  be 
conveyed  to  Robert  Morris,  each  reserving  one  undivided 
sixtieth  part  of  the  premises  therein  described,  and  severally 
conveying  each  a  distinct  tract  of  land  supposed  to  contain 
800,000  acres.  The  following  are  the  tracts  so  con- 
veyed : — 

1.  The  First  Tract  begins  on  the  north  line  of  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania,  at  a  point  distant  twelve  miles  west  from 
the  southwest  corner  of  land  confirmed  by  the  Common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts  to  Nathaniel  Gorham  and  Oliver 
Phelps  ;  thence  running  west,  on  the  Pennsylvania  line,  six- 
teen miles  ;  thence  north,  on  a  meridian  line,  to  the  dividing 
line  between  the  United  States  and  the  dominions  of  Great 
Britain  ;  thence  easterly,  on  said  dividing  line,  until  it  comes 
to  a  point  from  which  a  meridian  line  will  fall  upon  the  point 
of  beginning  ;  and  thence  on  the  same  meridian  line  to  the 
place  of  beginning — consideration,  j£l5,000.  This  tract 
comprehends  Ranges  L,  IL,  and  III.,  as  laid  down  in  the 
map  of  J.  and  B.  Ellicott's  survey  of  the  Holland  Purchase. 

2.  The  Second  Tract  begins  on  the  north  line  of  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania,  at  a  point  distant  28  miles  west  from  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  land  confirmed  to  Gorham  and 
Phelps  ;  thence  running  west  on  the  Pennsylvania  line  six- 
teen miles  ;  thence  north  to  the  boundary-line  of  the  United 
States  ;  thence  easterly  along  that  line  to  a  point  whence  a 
meridian  line  will  fall  on  the  point  of  beginning ;  and  thence 
south  on  that  meridian  to  the  place  of  beginning — consider- 

13 


MSl'         .         SKETCHES   OP   ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

aiion  £15,000.     This  tract  comprehends  Ranges  IV.,  V., 
and  VI.,  as  laid  down  on  Ellicou's  map. 

3.  The  Third  Tract  begins  on  the  north  line  of  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania,  at  a  point  distant  forty-four  miles  west 
from  the  southwest  corner  of  the  land  confirmed  to  Gorham 
and  Phelps  ;  thence  running  west  on  the  Pennsylvania  line 
sixteen  miles  ;  thence  norili  to  the  boundary-line  of  the 
United  States  ;  thence  easterly  along  that  line  to  a  point 
whence  a  meridian  line  will  fall  on  the  point  of  beginning; 
thence  south  on  that  meridian  to  the  [)lace  of  beginning — 
consideration,  £15,000,  This  tract  comprehends  Ranges 
VII.  and  Vlll.,  and  263  chains  and  76  links  off  the  easterly 
side  of  Range  IX.  of  EUicott's  map. 

4.  The  Fourth  Tract  begins  on  the  north  line  of  the 
Stale  of  Pennsylvania,  at  a  point  distant  sixty  miles  west 
from  the  southwest  corner  of  the  land  confirmed  to  Gorham 
and  Phelps  ;  thence  running  west  until  it  meets  the  land  ce- 
ded by  Massachusetts  to  the  United  States,  and  by  the  United 
Slates  sold  to  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  ;*  thence  northerly 
along  the  land  so  ceded  to  Lake  JErie  ;  thence  northeasterly 
along  Lake  Erie  to  a  tract  of  land  lying  on  the  easterly  side 
of  the  River  or  Strait  of  Niagara,  belonging  to  the  Slate  of 
New- York  ;t  thence  northerly  along  that  tract  to  the  bound- 
ary-line of  the  United  States  in  Lake  Ontario  ;  thence  east- 
erly along  that  line  to  a  point  whence  a  meridian  line  will  fall 
on  the  point  of  beginning — consideration,  £10,000.  This 
tract  comprehends  the  remaining  westerly  part  of  Range 
IX.,  and  the  whole  of  Ranges  X.,  XL,  XIL,  XIII.,  XIV., 
and  XV.,  of  Ellicott's  map. 

The  undivided  one  sixtieth  part  of  the  above-described 
tracts,  reserved  by  each  of  the  four  deeds  of  conveyance 
last  mentioned,  was  granted  to  Robert  Morris  in  fee-simple, 
by  a  concurrent  resolution  of  the  Legislature  of  Massachu- 
setts, passed  on  the  20th  of  June,  1792,  and  approved  by 
the  Governor,  of  which  resolution  an  exemplification  under 
the  great  seal  of  the  Commonwealth  was  recorded  in  the 
Secretary's  Office  at  Albany  on  the  10th  November,  1792. 

These  conveyances  will  be  found  to  embrace  all  the  ter- 
ritory within  the  State  of  New-York  lying  west  of  a  merid- 
ian line  commencing  in  the  north  bounds  of  Pennsylvania, 

'  *  See  notice  of  the  Pennsylvania  Triangle. 

-t^bifliiii'.)    f  This  was  a  strip  a  mile  wide  along  the  river. 


SUBDIVISIONS    OF   WESTERN   NEW- YORK.  147 

at  a  point  distant  twelve  miles  west  from  the  southwest  corner 
of  Gorham  and  Phelps's  purchase ;  and  thence  extending 
north  to  the  boundary-line  of  the  United  States  in  Lake  On- 
tario, excepting  only  the  reserved  strip  of  land  one  mile  in 
width  along  the  Niagara  River ;  and,  with  this  exception, 
Robert  Morris  thus  became  seized  of  the  pre-emptive  title 
to  the  whole  of  this  territory. 

The  whole  of  the  lands  of  the  Dutch  proprietors  within 
the  State  of  New-York  were  originally  purchased  for  their 
account  from  Robert  Morris,  and  conveyed  for  their  benefit 
to  trustees.  On  lllh  April,  1796,  a  special  act  was  passed 
for  the  relief  of  Wilhelm  Willink,  Nicholas  Van  Staphorst, 
Christian  Van  Eeghen,  Hendrick  VoUenhoven,  and  Rutger 
Jan  Schimmelpenninck,  which  was  succeeded  by  a  supple- 
mentary act  passed  24th  February,  1797,  including  the 
names  of  Jan  Willink,  Jacob  Van  Staphorst,  Nicholas  Hub- 
bard, Pieter  Van  Eeghen,  Isaac  Ten  Gate,  Jan  Stadnitski, 
and  Arenout  Van  Beeftingh.  By  these  two  acts  the  trus- 
tees were  authorized  to  hold  the  lands  which  had  been  con- 
tracted and  paid  for  by  all  or  any  of  the  above-named  indi- 
viduals, and  for  the  period  of  seven  years  to  sell  the  same 
to  citizens  of  the  United  States — declarations  describing  the 
land  so  held  being  filed  in  the  Secretary's  Office  by  the  1st 
of  July,  1797.  Such  declarations  were  made  and  filed  ac- 
cordingly. Under  the  general  alien  act  of  the  2d  of  April, 
1798,  the  titles  were  afterward  vested  in  the  names  of  the 
Dutch  proprietors  by  new  conveyances,  &c.  By  this  gen- 
eral act,  which  was  to  continue  for  three  years,  all  convey- 
ances to  aliens,  not  being  the  subjects  of  powers  or  states 
at  war  with  the  United  States,  were  declared  to  be  valid,  so 
as  to  vest  the  estate  in  such  aliens,  their  heirs  and  assigns 
for  ever. 

The  construction  of  this  act  was  settled  by  a  declaratory 
act,  passed  5th  March,  1819,  by  which  it  is  declared  and 
enacted  that  all  conveyances  made  to  aliens  under  the  act  of 
2d  April,  1798,  should,  as  to  any  question  or  plea  of  alien- 
ism, be  deemed  valid  and  effectual  to  vest  the  lands  thereby 
conveyed  in  the  several  grantees,  so  as  to  authorize  them 
and  their  heirs  and  assigns,  although  aliens,  to  devise  or 
convey  the  same  to  any  other  alien  or  aliens,  not  being  the 
subjects  of  a  power  or  state  at  war  with  the  United  States. 

Two  judgments  were  recovered  in  the  Supreme  Gourt  of 
the  State  of  New-York  against  Robert  Morris,  which  were 


IM  .         SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

found  to  overreach  the  titles  of  several  of  the  purchasers 
under  him.  The  first  of  these  judgments  was  recovered  by 
William  Talbot  and  William  Allum,  and  was  docketed  on 
the  8th  June,  1797.  The  second  judgment  was  recovered 
by  Solomon  Townsend,  and  was  docketed  on  the  lOih  of 
August,  1798. 

Previously  to  the  year  1800  an  execution  had  been  issued 
on  the  last  judgment,  in  virtue  of  which  all  the  lands  con- 
veyed to  Morris  by  the  State  of  Massachuseits  had  been 
levied  upon,  sold,  and  conveyed  by  the  sheriff  of  Ontario 
county  to  Thos,  Mather,  in  whose  name  actions  of  eject- 
ment founded  on  this  conveyance  were  prosecuted  in  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  New-York.  In  the  spring  of 
the  year  1800,  and  during  the  pendency  of  these  ejectments, 
an  execution  was  issued  on  the  earlier  judgment  of  Talbot 
and  Allum,  and  the  whole  tract  of  country  was  again  levied 
upon,  and  advertised  for  sale  by  the  sheriff. 

Under  these  circumstances  Mr.  Busti,  then  general  agent 
of  the  Holland  Land  Company,  entered  into  an  arrange- 
ment with  Gouverneur  Morris,  the  assignee  of  the  earlier 
judgment,  by  which  to  put  an  end  to  the  claims  set  up  under 
both  judgments,  and  also  to  the  pretensions  set  up  by  Robert 
Morris,  in  relation  to  the  right  of  redemption  in  the  million 
and  the  half  million  acre  tracts.* 

To  effect  these  objects,  it  was  agreed  that  both  judgments, 
and  also  a  release  of  Mather's  interest,  under  the  sheriff's 

*  Concurrently  with  the  execution  of  the  original  conveyance  for 
these  two  tracts  of  land  by  Robert  Morris  to  Le  Roy  and  Lincklaen,  ar- 
ticles of  agreement  were  entered  into,  by  which,  among  other  things,  a 
right  was  reserved  to  the  grantees  to  elect,  within  a  certain  period,  to 
convert  the  purchase  into  a  loan,  in  which  case  the  conveyance  was  to 
enure  by  way  of  mortgage  to  secure  the  repayment  of  the  purchase- 
money.  The  grantees  choosing  to  hold  the  lands  as  a  purchase  de- 
clared no  election  to  hold  them  otherwise  ;  but  it  was  nevertheless 
contended  by  Morris,  and  those  claiming  under  him,  that  the  whole 
transaction  was  to  be  considered  as  a  loan,  and  that  a  right  of  redemp- 
tion still  existed  in  Morris  or  his  assigns,  which  a  Court  of  Chancery 
would  enforce.  This  question  was  put  at  rest  by  the  conveyance  of 
10th  February,  1801,  from  T.  L.  Ogden  and  Gouverneur  Morris,  in  the 
latter  of  whom  were  then  vested  all  the  rights  which  Robert  Morris 
had  in  these  lands  on  the  8th  June,  1797,  or  at  any  time  subsequent. 
This  conveyance  served  also  as  a  confirmation  of  title  under  the  treaty 
with  the  Seneca  Indians  of  15th  September,  1797,  which  confirmation 
had  been  withheld  as  to  this  tract,  although  given  with  regard  to  the 
"  million-acre"  and  the  "  800,000-acre  tracts."       .«,,'/■.    jo 


SUBDIVISIONS    OP    WESTERN    NEW- YORK.  149 

deed  to  him,  should  be  purchased  by  the  Holland  Land  Com- 
pany, which  was  done.  The  two  judgments  were  accord- 
ingly assigned  to  the  individuals  composing  the  company  : 
that  of  Townsend  by  his  attorney,  Aaron  Burr,  by  deed  of 
assignment,  dated  22d  April,  1800  ;  that  of  Talbot  and  Al- 
lum  by  Gouverneur  Morris,  the  assignee,  by  deed  of  assign- 
ment of  the  same  date. 

Founded  on  these  preliminary  acts,  articles  of  agreement 
were  entered  into  between  Thomas  L.  Ogden  of  the  first 
part,  Wilhelm  Willink,  Nicolaas  Van  Staphorst,  Pieter  Van 
Eeghen,  Hendrick  Vollenhoven,  and  Rutger  Jan  Schimmel- 
penninck  of  the  second  part,  and  Gouverneur  Morris  of  the 
third  part,  also  dated  the  22d  of  April,  1800,  by  which,  after 
reciting  the  above  assignments  and  the  purchase  of  Mather's 
interest,  it  was  mutually  agreed  that  the  release  from  Mather 
should  be  taken  in  the  name  of  Thomas  L.  Ogden  ;  that  he 
should  also  become  the  purchaser  at  the  approaching  sale 
under  the  judgment  of  Talbot  and  Allum  ;  and  that  the  title, 
thus  derived  under  both  judgments,  should  be  held  by  him 
upon  trust  for  the  purposes  expressed  in  the  agreement. 

Among  the  trusts  declared  by  that  instrument,  it  was  pro- 
vided that  the  million  and  the  half  million  acre  tracts,  com- 
posing together  what  is  now  called  the  million  and  a  half  acre 
tract,  should  be  held  subject  to  the  issue  of  an  amicable  suit, 
to  be  instituted  on  the  equity  side  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  the 
United  States  for  the  District  of  New- York,  to  determine  the 
operation  and  efi'ect  of  the  conveyance  of  those  tracts  by 
Robert  Morris  ;  so  that,  if  by  the  decree  of  that  court,  or  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  in  case  of  an  ap- 
peal from  the  decision  of  the  Circuit  Court,  such  conveyance 
should  be  adjudged  to  be  absolute  and  indefeasible,  then  the 
two  tracts  should  be  released  and  confirmed  by  Gouverneur 
Morris  to  the  Holland  Land  Company ;  but  if  adjudged  to 
be  a  mortgage,  then  that  they  should  be  released  by  them  to 
him  upon  payment  of  the  original  purchase-money  and  in- 
terest. It  was  further  provided  by  this  agreement,  that  the 
residue  of  the  entire  tract  of  country  should  be  released  and 
confirmed  by  T.  L.  Ogden  to  the  several  proprietors  under 
Robert  Morris,  according  to  the  award  and  appointment  of 
Alexander  Hamilton,  David  A.  Ogden,  and  Thomas  Cooper. 

In  pursuance  of  this  agreement,  Mather's  rights  under  the 
sale  upon  Townsend's  judgment  were  conveyed  to  Thos.  L. 
Ogden,  by  deed  dated  22d  April,  1800  ;  and  a  sale  having 
13* 


vlSD  SKETCHES   OF    ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

been  made  under  the  execution  issued  upon  the  judgment  of 
Talbot  and  AUum,  the  entire  tract  of  country,  as  to  all  the 
estate  and  interest  therein  which  Robert  Morris  was  entitled 
to  on  the  8lh  June,  1797,  was  conveyed  by  Roger  Sprague, 
sheriff  of  Ontario  county,  to  Thomas  L.  Ogden,  by  deed 
dated  13ih  May,  1800. 

Alexander  Hamilton,  David  A.  Ogden,  and  Thomas  Cooper 
made  an  award  or  appointment,  dated  22d  January,  1801, 
directing  conveyances  by  Thomas  L.  Ogden  of  the  whole  of 
the  lands  to  and  among  the  several  grantees  under  Robert 
Morris,  the  parcels  to  be  conveyed  to  each  being  defined 
by  appropriate  descriptions  and  boundaries. 

In  conformity  with  this  appointment,  the  several  confir- 
mations respecting  the  "  million-acre,"  "  800,000-acre,"  and 
"  300,000-acre  tracts"  were  executed  by  T.  L.  Ogden  on 
the  13th  and  27th  February,  1801. 

It  was  required  by  the  award  that  each  of  the  grantees 
under  Morris,  receiving  a  release  from  Thos.  L.  Ogden, 
should  execute  to  him  a  release  or  quit-claim  of  all  the  resi- 
due of  the  tract  of  country,  which  releases  were  accordingly 
executed. 


'■( 

■fT 
THE    PULTENEY    ESTATE. 

The  great  size  and  present  immense  value  of  this  tract 
may  render  some  particulars  respecting  it  satisfactory  to 
those  who  are  desirous  of  tracing  the  progress  of  Western 
New-York.  It  would,  indeed,  be  almost  unpardonable,  in 
these  notices  of  settlement,  to  pass  silently  by  the  enterpri- 
sing Charles  Williamson,  the  early  agent  of  that  estate, 
■whose  exertions  contributed  so  essentially  to  stimulate  the 
progress  of  improvement  in  this  then  wilderness.  It  was 
from  the  Pulteney  Estate  that  Rochester,  Fitzhugh,  and 
Carroll  bought  the  "  hundred-acre  lot"  which  formed  the  nu- 
cleus of  the  City  of  Rochester. 

After  selling  out  about  one  third  of  the  tract  to  which  the 
Indian  title  had  been  extinguished  by  them,  Phelps  and 
Gorham,  in  November,  1790,  sold  nearly  all  the  residue  of 
that  tract  to  Robert  Morris.  The  quantity  was  about 
1,264,000  acres,  and  the  price  eightpence  per  acre.  Mr. 
Morris  sold  his  bargain  to  Sir  William  Pulteney,  and  Charles 
Williamson  was  appointed  the  agent  to  manage  the  sales 


SUBDIVISIONS   OF    WESTERN   NEW-YORK.  151 

to  the  settlers,  for  whose  accommodation  land-offices  were 
opened  at  Geneva  and  Bath.  [The  portion  of  territory  to 
which  Phelps  and  Gorham  had  not  extinguished  the  Indian 
title  was  relinquished  by  them  to  Massachusetts,  and  after- 
ward passed  through  the  hands  of  Robert  Morris  to  the  Hol- 
land Company,  as  stated  particularly  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.] 

The  boundaries  of  the  Pulteney  Estate,  as  given  by  Spaf- 
ford's  Gazetteer,  were  thus  :  Northward  by  Lake  Ontario ; 
eastward  by  the  Pre-emption  Line ;  south  by  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania  ;  west  by  a  transit  meridian  line  due  north  from 
lat.  42*^  to  the  Genesee  River  at  the  junction  of  the  Cana- 
seraga  Creek  and  Genesee  River  ;  thence  by  that  river  to  the 
south  line  of  Caledonia;  thence  west  twelve  miles,  and  thence 
northeasterly  by  the  east  line  of  "  the  Triangle"  twelve  miles 
west  of  the  Genesee  River,  to  Lake  Ontario.  It  comprises 
nearly  all  of  Steuben  and  Ontario  counties,  the  east  range  of 
townships  in  Allegany  county,  and  the  east  and  principal 
parts  of  the  counties  of  Livingston  and  Monroe.  Some  por- 
tions of  the  territory  included  within  these  bounds,  to  the  ex- 
tent, probably,  of  one  third  of  the  whole  tract,  had  been  sold 
to  companies  and  individuals  before  the  purchase  made  by 
Sir  William  Pulteney ;  and  that  purchase  was  of  course 
made  subject  to  all  the  previous  contracts. 

Some  of  the  memoranda  furnished  by  Mr.  Maude  in  1800 
respecting  Captain  Williamson's  operations  as  agent  of  the 
Pulteney  Estate,  may  be  quoted  here  as  illustrative  not 
merely  of  the  character  of  his  agency,  but  of  the  history  of 
our  early  settlements. 

"  Bath,  which  now  contains  about  forty  families,"  says 
the  traveller,  "  was  laid  out  in  1792,  the  same  year  that 
Captain  Williamson  forced  a  passage  to  this  till  then  un- 
known country,  through  a  length  of  wilderness  which  the 
oldest  and  most  experienced  woodmen  could  not  be  tempted 
to  assist  him  to  explore ;  tempted,  too,  by  an  offer  of  more 
than  five  times  the  amount  of  their  usual  wages.  Captain 
W.  was  then  accompanied  by  his  friend  and  relative,  Mr. 
Johnstone,  and  a  servant — afterward  a  backwoodsman  was 
prevailed  on  to  join  the  party. 

"  It  was  not  till  1795  that  this  country  could  supply  its 
inhabitants  with  food  ;  for,  till  then,  their  flour  was  brought 
from  Northumberland  and  their  pork  from  Philadelphia ; 
yet,  so  rapidly  has  the  spirit  of  improvement  gone  forth  in 


152  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

this  country,  so  suddenly  has  plenty  burst  forth  where  so 
late  was  famine,  and  so  quick  the  change  of  scene  from 
dark-tangled  forests  (whose  deathlike  silence  yielded  but  to 
the  growl  of  bears,  the  howl  of  wolves,  and  the  yell  of  sav- 
ages) to  smiling  fields,  to  flocks  and  herds,  and  to  the  busy 
hum  of  men,  that,  instead  of  being  indebted  to  others  for 
their  support,  they  will  henceforth  annually  supply  the  low 
country,  Baltimore  especially,  with  many  hundred  barrels  of 
flour  and  heads  of  cattle. 

"  On  Captain  Williamson's  first  arrival,  where  now  is 
Bath,  he  built  a  small  log  hut  for  his  wife  and  family.  If  a 
stranger  came  to  visit  him,  he  built  up  a  little  nook  for  him 
to  put  his  bed  in.  In  a  little  lime,  a  boarded  or  frame  house 
was  built  to  the  left  of  the  hut  ;  this  also  was  intended  but 
as  a  temporary  residence,  though  it  then  appeared  a  palace. 
His  present  residence,  a  very  commodious,  roomy,  and  well- 
planned  house,  is  situate  to  the  right  of  where  stood  the  hut, 
long  consigned  to  the  kitchen  fire.     *     *     * 

"•  Bath  is  situated  in  a  small  valley,  watered  by  the  Con- 
hocton,  running  at  the  foot  of  a  mountainous  ridge  which 
shuts  in  the  valley  to  the  south  :  this  ridge  is  high  and  steep, 
and  clothed  with  wood  to  its  summit,  Bath  is  the  capital  of 
Steuben  county,  which  county  contains  at  present  (in  1800) 
about  300  families. 

"  On  the  first  settlement  of  the  country,  these  mountainous 
districts  were  thought  so  unfavourably  of  when  compared 
with  the  rich  flats  of  Ontario  county  (or  the  Genesee  coun- 
try), that  none  of  the  settlers  could  be  prevailed  upon  to  es- 
tablish themselves  here  till  Captain  Williamson  himself  set 
the  example,  saying,  'As  Nature  has  done  so  much  for  the 
Northern  plains,  I  will  do  something  for  these  Southern 
mountains  ;'  though  the  truth  of  the  case  was,  that  Captain 
W.  saw  very  clearly,  on  his  first  visit  to  the  country,  that  the 
Susquehannah,  and  not  the  Mohawk,  would  be  ultimately 
its  best  friend.  Even  now  it  has  proved  so  ;  for  at  this  day 
(1800)  a  bushel  of  wheat  is  better  worth  one  hundred  cents 
at  Bath  than  sixty  cents  at  Geneva.  This  difl^erence  will 
grow  wider  every  year  ;*  for  little,  if  any,  additional  improve- 
ment can  be  made  in  the  water  communication  with  New- 
York,  while  that  to  Baltimore  will  admit  of  very  extensive 

'^  *  Wliat  an  amusing  contrast  is  presented  between  these  predictions 
and  the  present  actual  condition  of  things  ! 


SUBDIVISIONS    OF   WESTERN    NEW-YORK.  153 

and  advantageous  ones.  Its  present  efforts  are  tliose  of  a 
child  compared  with  the  manly  strength  it  will  soon  assume. 

"  I  visited  Captain  Williamson's  mills,  a  little  west  of 
Bath,  on  Conhocton  Creek,  which,  before  the  winter  sets  in, 
will  be  made  navigable  fifteen  miles  higher  up  ;  at  least  a 
farmer  there  promises  to  exert  himself  to  send  an  ark  down 
from  thence  in  the  spring.  Should  he  succeed,  Captain  W. 
promises  him  a  gift  of  thirty  acres  of  land.  The  naviga- 
tion of  the  Susquehannah  will  then  extend  to  within  six 
miles  of  Canandaigua  Lake. 

"  Geneva  is  situate  at  the  northwest  extremity  of  Seneca 
Lake.  It  is  divided  into  Upper  and  Lower  Town.  The 
first  establishments  were  on  the  margin  of  the  lake,  as  best 
adapted  to  business  ;  but  Captain  Williamson,  struck  with  the 
peculiar  beauty  of  the  elevated  plain  which  crowns  the  high 
bank  of  the  lake,  and  the  many  advantages  which  it  pos- 
sessed as  a  site  for  a  town,  began  here  to  lay  out  his  build- 
ing-lots parallel  with  and  facing  the  lake.  These  lots  are 
three  quarters  of  an  acre  deep,  and  half  an  acre  in  front, 
and  valued  (in  1800)  at  ^375  per  lot.  One  article  in  the 
agreement  with  Captain  Williamson  is,  that  no  buildings 
shall  be  erected  on  the  east  side  of  the  street,  that  the  view 
of  the  lake  may  be  kept  open.  Those  who  purchase  a  lot 
liave  also  the  option  of  purchasing  such  land  as  lays  be- 
tween their  lot  and  the  lake — a  convenience  and  advantage 
which  I  suppose  few  will  forego— the  quantity  not  being 
great,  and  consisting  principally  of  the  declivity  of  the  bank, 
which,  for  the  most  part,  is  not  so  steep  as  to  unfit  it  for 
pasturage  or  gardens. 

"  To  give  encouragement  to  this  settlement,  Captain  Wil- 
liamson built  a  very  large  and  handsome  hotel,  and  invited 
an  Englishman  of  the  name  of  Powell  to  take  the  superin- 
tendence of  it.  Captain  Williamson  has  two  rooms  in  this 
hotel  appropriated  to  himself;  and  as  he  resides  here  the 
greater  part  of  the  year,  he  takes  care  that  Powell  does  jus- 
tice to  the  establishment  and  to  his  guests.  From  this 
cause  it  is,  that,  as  it  respects  provisions,  liquors,  beds,  and 
stabling,  there  are  few  inns  in  America  equal  to  the  hotel 
at  Geneva.  That  part  of  the  town  where  the  hotel  is  situ- 
ated is  intended  for  a  public  square.  At  Mile-Point,  a  mile 
south  of  the  hotel,  Captain  Williamson  has  built  a  handsome 
brick  house,  intended  for  the  residence  of  his  brother,  who 
had  an  intention  of  establishing  at  Geneva, 


154        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

"  In  1792,  Geneva  did  not  contain  more  than  three  or  four 
families  ;  but  such  is  the  beauty,  salubrity,  and  convenience 
of  the  situation,  that  it  now  consists  of  at  least  sixty  fami- 
lies, and  is  rapidly  receiving  accessions  as  the  new  build- 
ings) get  finished  for  their  reception.  There  were  at  this 
time' (1800)  settled  at  Geneva,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Colt,  Messrs. 
Johnstone,  Ilallet,  Rees,  Bogart,  and  Beekman ;  three  of 
these  gentlemen  were  lawyers.  Here  were  also  two  doc- 
tors, two  storekeepers,  a  blacksmith,  shoemaker,  tailor,  hat- 
ter, hairdresser,  saddler,  brewer,  printer,  watchmaker,  and 
cabinet-maker.  A  hat  made  entirely  of  beaver  is  sold  here 
for  $10. 

;  "  Geneva  is  supplied  with  water  conveyed  in  pipes  from  a 
neighbouring  spring,  and  also  by  wells.  From  the  lake,  the 
town  is  plentifully  supplied  with  a  great  variety  of  excellent 
fish.  Seneca  Lake  is  foriy-four  miles  long,  and  from  four 
to  six  miles  wide.  Its  greatest  depth  is  not  known ;  the 
■water  is  very  clear  and  wholesome  ;  the  bottom  is  sand 
and  gravel,  with  a  clear  sandy  beach,  like  the  seashore, 
and,  consequently,  not  infested  with  moschetoes,  &.c.  This 
lake  is  navigated  by  a  sloop  of  forty  tons,  which  runs  as  a 
packet,  and  carries  on  a  trade  between  Geneva  and  Cath- 
erinetown,  at  the  head  of  the  lake. 

"Canandaigua,  in  1792,  was  not  farther  advanced  in  im- 
provement than  Geneva,  as  it  then  consisted  of  only  two 
frame  houses  and  a  few  log  houses.  It  is  now  (1800)  one 
third  larger  than  Geneva — containing  ninety  families,  and  is 
the  county  town.  Canandaigua  is  built  at  right  angles  with 
the  lake,  and,  consequently,  has  not  a  commanding  view  of  it. 
Strangers  will  always  regret  this  circumstance  ;  for,  though 
Canandaigua  Lake  is  not  half  the  size  of  Seneca  Lake,  yet 
its  scenery  is  far  more  attractive,  and  its  banks  would  have 
afforded  a  situation  very  superior  to  that  of  Geneva.  Those, 
however,  who  laid  out  the  town  of  Canandaigua  looked  for 
more  substantial  gratifications  than  that  of  merely  pleasing 
the  eye. 

*' Canandaigua  consists  of  one  street;  from  this  street  are 
laid  off  sixty  lots,  thirty  on  each  side.  Each  lot  contains 
forty  acres,  having  only  twenty-two  perches,  or  one  hundred 
and  twenty-one  yards  in  front :  thirty  lots  consequently  ex- 
tends the  town  upward  of  two  miles  ;  but  the  extremities 
of  the  present  town  are  not  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half 
apart.     These  lots  are  valued  in  their  unimproved  state  at 


SUBDIVISIONS    OF   WESTERN   NEW- YORK.  155 

$600  to  $1000  each.  The  land  is  very  good;  two  tons 
and  a  half  of  hay  has  been  made  to  the  acre. 

"  The  principal  inhabitants  of  Canandagua  are,  Thomas 
Morris,  Esq.,  Mr.  Phelps,  Mr.  Gorham  (who  are  the 
greatest  land-owners  in  Canandaigua  and  its  neighbourhood), 
and  Judge  Atwater.  I  was  introduced  also  to  Mr.  Greig, 
from  Morpeth,  in  England — a  gentleman  reading  law  with 
Mr.  Morris. 

"  Canandaigua  Lake  is  eighteen  miles  long,  and  from  one 
to  one  and  a  half  in  breadth.  The  water  near  the  outlet  is 
very  shallow,  but  of  very  great  depth  near  the  head  of  the 
lake.  The  new  outlet  (an  artificial  one  being  cut  at  the 
northwest  corner — the  natural  outlet  being,  as  in  Seneca 
Lake,  at  the  northeast  corner)  has  shoaled  the  water  so 
much,  that  near  that  end  of  the  lake  a  considerable  sand-bar 
has  appeared  above  its  surface.  The  shores  are  low  the 
first  six  miles — the  lake  is  then  imbosomed  in  high  cliffs 
and  mountains.     The  bottom  is  sand  and  gravel." 

Captain  Williamson,  as  agent  of  the  Pulteney  Estate,  pur- 
chased the  Allen  mill-lot,  or  hundred-acre  tract,  which  formed 
the  nucleus  of  the  City  of  Rochester.  "  Capt.  W.,  perceiv- 
ing the  value  of  this  property,  proposed  to  build  a  new  and 
much  larger  mill"  about  the  year  1800  ;  but,  in  1803,  sold 
the  tract  to  Rochester,  Carroll,  and  Fitzhugh,  who  in  1812 
laid  it  out  into  a  village-plot  under  the  name  of  the  senior 
proprietor.  At  the  Big  Spring,  within  two  miles  of  the 
Scotch  settlement  at  Caledonia,  Capt.  Williamson  laid  out  a 
town  in  acre  lots ;  but  only  two  families  were  resident 
at  the  spring  in  1800,  while  at  Caledonia  there  were 
twelve  families,  and  six  other  families  in  the  immediate 
neighbourhood.  "  These  settlers  purchased  their  land  of 
Capt.  W.  for  $3  per  acre.  He  gave  each  family  a  cow,  and 
supplied  them  with  wheat  for  the  first  year,  to  be  repaid  in 
kind.  He  was  also  not  to  charge  any  interest  for  the  first 
five  years.  The  Big  Spring  spreads  over  two  acres,  on  a 
limestone  bed ;  the  pond  never  freezes,  and  its  outlet  has 
force  of  water  sufficient  to  turn  two  or  more  large  water- 
wheels.  The  stream  from  this  spring  falls  into  Allen's 
Creek,  on  which  Caledonia  is  situated" — [on  which  creek 
also  stands  the  flourishing  village  of  Scottsville.] 


156  SKETCHES   OP   ROCHESTER,    ETC. 


THE    MILITARY    TRACT. 

1781.  Among  the  acts  of  the  New-York  Legislature  in 
sustenance  of  the  revolutionary  war,  was  a  rosoknion  for 
raising  forces  to  recruit  the  army  in  1781 — the  period  of  en- 
listment fixed  at  three  years,  or  till  the  close  of  the  war — 
and  the  faith  of  the  state  pledged  that  each  soldier  should 
have  500  acres  as  soon  after  the  war  as  the  land  could  be 
safely  surveyed. 

1782.  A  law  selling  apart  lands  for  the  payment  of  mili- 
tary bounties  was  adopted  by  the  New- York  Legislature  on 
the  25lh  of  July,  1782.  The  preamble  of  the  law  set  forth 
that,  "  as  Congress  had  promised  that  lands  should,  at  the 
close  of  the  revolution,  be  given  to  the  officers  and  soldiers, 
the  Legislature  were  inclined  to  carry  out  the  wishes  and 
promises  of  Congress  so  far  as  the  New-York  soldiery  were 
concerned."  With  these  views  the  law  decreed  that  the 
territory  M'ithin  the  following  boundaries  should  be  devoted 
to  the  location  of  grants  made  to  the  New- York  troops  in 
the  service  of  the  United  States,  and  to  such  other  persons  for 
military  service  as  the  Legislature  might  designate.  The 
tract  included  all  the  lands  in  Tryon  county  (which  then 
embraced  all  the  state  west  of  Albany  county),  bounded 
northward  by  Lake  Ontario,  Onondaga  [now  Oswego]  River, 
and  Oneida  Lake  ;  west  by  a  line  drawn  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Great  Sodus  or  Assodorus  Bay  through  the  most  west- 
erly inclination  of  Seneca  Lake  [this  was  the  Pre-emption 
Jjine,  or  east  boundary  of  the  Massachusetts  lands]  ;  south 
by  an  east  and  west  line  drawn  through  the  most  southerly 
inclination  of  Seneca  Lake ;  and  on  the  east  by  a  line 
drawn  from  the  most  westerly  boundary  of  the  Oneida  or 
Tuscarora  country  on  the  Oneida  Lake,  through  the  most 
westerly  inclination  of  the  west  bounds  of  the  Oneida  or 
Tuscarora  country.  This  act  was  amended  in  some  of 
its  provisions,  sess.  9,  sess.  11,  sess.  12,  sess.  14.  By  the 
act  of  February  28,  1789,  sess.  12,  six  lots  were  reserved 
in  each  township,  viz.,  one  for  promoting  the  Gospel  and  a 
public  scliool,  another  for  promoting  literature  in  this  state, 
and  the  remaining  four  lots  to  satisfy  the  surplus  share  of  com- 
missioned officers  not  corresponding  with  the  division  of  600 
acres,  and  to  compensate  such  persons  as  should  by  chance 
draw  lots,  the  greater  part  of  which  should  be  covered  with 
water. 


SUBDIVISIONS    OF   WESTERN    NEW- YORK.  157 

The  execution  of  this  law  depended  upon  contingencies 
which  caused  considerable  delay ;  for  the  Indian  title  to  the 
tract  was  then  unextinguished  by  any  treaty,  no  lands  (save 
a  tract  betvveen  Unadilla  and  Chenango  Rivers,  &c.)  having 
been  acquired  from  the  Indians  by  the  state  till  1788-9, 
when  the  Oneidas,  Cayiigas,  and  Onondagas  sold  their  ter- 
ritories, which  extended  to  the  west  bounds  of  the  tract  set 
apart  for  military  bounty-lands — the  land  westward  of  which 
belonged  to  Massacliusetts  and  the  Senecas,  and  to  those 
who,  like  Phelps  and  Gorham,  purchased  the  respective 
rights  of  that  state  and  of  the  Seneca  tribe,  of  which  particu- 
lars are  elsewhere  given  under  appropriate  heads. 

1786.  The  preamble  of  a  law  of  the  5th  May,  1786,  set 
forth  that,  as  the  settlement  of  the  unappropriated  lands  in 
the  state,  in  the  manner  directed  by  former  laws,  was  sub- 
ject to  great  embarrassment  and  inconvenience,  and  produc- 
tive of  much  controversy — expediency  demanded  a  speedy 
disposal  of  the  tracts  owned  by  the  state.  One  of  the  pro- 
visions of  this  law  was  to  this  effect ;  that,  as  sundry  loca- 
tions of  military  bounty-lands  had  been  made  on  lands  of  the 
Onondaga,  Cayuga,  and  Seneca  nations,  and  as  attempts  to 
settle  such  lands  might  involve  the  state  in  controversy  with 
those  Indians,  patentees  were  authorized  to  withdraw  their 
locations,  and  to  locate  on  lands  which  might  be  prepared 
(but  before  they  should  be  offered)  for  sale  under  this  act, 
excepting  on  lands  bought  from  the  Oneida  Indians,  and  ex- 
cepting also  the  tract  between  Chenango  and  Unadilla  Rivers, 
bought  on  the  28th  of  June,  1785,  and  also  excepting  va- 
cant lands  in  the  southern  district. 

1786.  As  there  seemed  to  be  little  prospect  of  soon  ex- 
tinguishing the  Indian  title  to  the  tract  in  Western  New- 
York,  originally  designated  for  the  payment  of  military- 
bounties,  the  Legislature  appropriated  twelve  northern  town- 
ships (now  in  the  counties  of  Clinton,  Franklin,  and  Essex) 
to  satisfy  the  claims  of  such  of  the  patentees  as  were  becom- 
ing impatient  for  locations.  These  twelve  townships  were 
each  ten  miles  square — making  an  area  of  1200  square 
miles,  or  768,000  acres.  The  land  thus  allotted  is  some- 
times called  the  "  Old  Military  Tract;"  but,  as  the  Indian 
thle  to  the  other  tract  was  soon  after  (in  1789)  extinguished 
by  the  state,  the  grants  to  the  revolutionary  soldiers  were 
chiefly  located  on  the  lands  of  the  Onondagas  and  Cayugas. 

1789.  On  the  28th  of  February,  1789,  an  act  was  passed 
14 


158        SKETCHES  or  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

for  appropriating  the  lands  devoted  to  the  payment  of  the 
revolutionary  soldiers,  the  Indian  title  to  which  lands  had  at 
length  been  extinguished  by  treaties  with  the  Onondagas 
and  Cayijgas.  The  State  of  New-York  thus  redeemed  the 
pledge  given  to  the  revolutionary  soldiers  by  the  act  of  the 
25th  of  July,  1782.  The  terms  of  the  arrangements  with 
the  Indians  are  stated  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

The  Military  Tract  was  accordingly  surveyed  into 
twenty-eight  townships,  each  township  embracing  100  lots 
of  600  acres,  exclusive  of  reservations — an  area  of  land 
equal  to  1,680,000  acres — which  tract  was, 

On  the  r)tli  of  xMarch,  1794,  erected  into  a  separate  county 
called  Onondaga — the  county  courts  were  ordered  to  be  held 
alternately  at  Manlius  and  in  Scipio  (the  latter  place  being 
in  what  is  now  Cayuga  county),  and  the  prisoners  to  be 
kept  in  Herkimer  jail  till  otherwise  ordered. 

This  Military  Tract,  or  old  Onondaga  county,  has  been 
subdivided  into  several  counties,  viz. :  Courtland,  Tompkins, 
Cayuga,  and  Seneca,  and  partly  into  Oswego  and  AVayne. 

This  great  tract  embraces  the  Cayuga,  Onondaga,  Skan- 
eateles,  Owasco,  Otisco,  and  Cross  Lakes,  and  several 
smaller  lakes  or  ponds,  part  of  Seneca  Lake,  the  whole 
length  of  Seneca  River,  part  of  the  lakes  and  streams  on  its 
boundaries,  and  many  small  streams  of  great  value — as  are 
its  soil,  products,  and  the  singular  opulence  of  its  miner- 
alogy— salt,  gypsum,  marl,  lime,  water-lime,  iron  ore,  &;c. 

Although  the  "Military  Tract"  may  be  truly  considered 
as  "  a  proud  and  splendid  monument  of  the  gratitude  of  New- 
York  to  her  revolutionary  heroes,"  the  soldiers  whose  patri- 
otic valour  earned  the  reward,  in  many  cases  realized  little 
from  the  bounty  of  their  country.  Some  of  those  who  know 
the  present  value  of  600  acres  of  Onondaga  lands,  may  be 
surprised  and  grieved  to  learn  that  the  patents  for  that  quan- 
tity were  frequently  sold  at  rates  varying  from  $8  to  $30 
each  for  about  ten  years  after  the  revolutionary  war  ! 

Some  of  the  statements  of  Maude,  a  traveller  from  whose 
work  various  quotations  are  made  in  this  volume,  may  be 
noticed  here  as  illustrative  of  the  subject  of  the  foregoing  re- 
marks : — 

"1  had  now  (in  the  year  1800)  entered  upon  the  Military 
Townships,  which  the  State  of  New- York  had  granted  to 
the  officers  and  soldiers  who  had  served  in  their  line  during 
the  war.     Each  soldier  had  a  patent  made  out  for  600  acres. 


SUBDIVISIONS    OP    WESTERN    NEW- YORK.  159 

These  patents  were  soon  bought  up  by  greedy  speculators, 
who  very  rarely  gave  more  than  eight  dollars,  or  half  a  joe, 
for  each  patent  of  six  hundred  acres,  now  (1800)  selling  at 
from  three  to  six  dollars  per  acre  !  'Tis  true  [some  of]  the 
soldiers  sold  their  patents  many  times  over — perhaps  once  a 
week.* 

"  Congress,  by  an  act  of  the  16th  of  September,  1776,  re- 
solved that  a  bounty  of  land  should  be  given  to  the  Conti- 
nental Army,  viz.  : 

Acres. 

Private  and  non-commissioned  officer,     .         100 

An  Ensign, 150 

Lieutenant, 200 

Captain, 300 

Major, 400 

Lieutenant-colonel,        ....         450 

Colonel, 500 

"  And  by  an  act  of  the  12th  of  August,  1780 — 
Brigadier-general,  ....  850 

Major-general,  .....  1100 
"  The  State  of  New-York,  undertaking  to  provide  for  her 
own  citizens  serving  in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  passed 
an  act  on  the  27th  of  March,  1783,  which  granted  to  them  a 
quantity  of  land  fivefold  in  addition  to  ihe  grant  of  Congress 
• — making  their  proportion  as  follows  : — 

Acres. 

Private  and  non-commissioned  officer,     .         600 

An  Ensign, 900 

Lieutenant, 1200 

Captain, 1800 

Major, 2400 

Lieutenant-colonel,        ....       2700 

Colonel,       .         .         .         .         .         .       3000 

Brigadier-general,  .         .         .         .5100 

Major-general, 6600 

"  In  1788,  the  current  price  for  a  soldier's  right  was  eight 
dollars  :  in   1792,  they  had  risen  to  thirty  ;  and  they  are 

*  These  irregularities  occasioned  great  difficulties  in  the  early  settle- 
ment of  the  country  ;  and  so  great  was  the  evil,  that  a  board  of  com- 
missioners existed  for  several  years  for  the  purpose  of  arbitration  be- 
tween contending  claimants.  Gen.  Vincent  Mathews,  then  of  Tioga, 
but  now  a  resident  of  Rochester,  was  a  member  of  the  board  intrusted 
with  this  delicate  authority. 


160        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

now,  in  1800,  even  those  in  a  wild  unimproved  state,  worth 
from  three  to  five  dollars  per  acre." 


THE    TRIANGLE    TRACT. 

The  history  of  this  tract  is  intimately  connected  with  that 
of  the  MiUyard  Trad — the  twelve  by  twenty-four  miles 
originally  granted  by  the  Indians  for  the  convenience  of  a 
mill  at  Genesee  Falls;  next  westward  of  which  "  niillyard" 
the  Triangle  Tract  is  located.  It  was  agreed  between 
Phelps  and  Gorham  and  the  Indians,  that  the  "  millyard" 
should  be  bounded  eastwardly  by  the  Genesee  River,  south 
by  a  line  running  from  a  point  on  the  river  about  Avon  west 
twelve  miles,  and  thence  the  western  boundary  should  run 
northwardly  to  the  Lake  Ontario,  which  was  the  northern 
boundary.  It  was  then  supposed  by  some  that  the  general 
course  of  the  Genesee  River  from  Avon  was  west  of  north  ; 
and  some  misunderstanding  appears  to  have  temporarily  ex- 
isted between  Phelps  and  the  Indians  as  to  the  running  of 
the  western  boundary  ;  whether  it  should  run  parallel  with 
the  general  course  of  the  river  (and  twelve  miles  distant 
therefrom),  or  due  north  from  the  southwesterly  point  of  be- 
ginning twelve  miles  west  of  Avon.  The  western  line  was 
run  by  Hugh  INIaxwell  due  north  from  the  last-mentioned 
point.  But,  as  the  river  enters  Ontario  east  of  north  from 
Avon,  the  northern  termination  of  Maxwell's  line  was  more 
than  twelve  miles  from  the  river  at  its  junction  with  the  lake. 
The  matter  was  soon  afterward  arranged  by  a  survey 
which  was  made  by  the  venerable  Augustus  Porter  (who  is 
still  living  at  Niagara  Falls),  and  who  ran  the  west  line  con- 
formably to  the  northeasterly  course  of  the  river  from  Avon, 
said  line  being  as  nearly  as  practicable  twelve  miles  west  of 
the  general  course  of  the  stream  in  that  distance.  Thos 
was  created  what  is  called  the  Triangle  Tract  (the  base 
resting  on  Lake  Ontario),  between  the  new  and  the  old 
west  lines  of  the  "millyard" — said  triangle  containing 
about  87,000  acres,  and  forming  the  towns  of  Clarkson  and 
Sweden  in  Monroe  county,  and  parts  of  Bergen  and  Le  Roy 
in  Genesee  county.  Robert  Morris,  who  bought  from 
Massachusetts  certain  lands  relinquished  by  Phelps  and 
Gorham,  sold  this  "  Triangle  Tract"  to  Le  Roy,  Bayard, 
and  M'Evers. 


SUBDIVISIONS   or   WESTERN   NEW-YORK.  161 

Before  this  west  line  was  rectified  as  it  now  stands,  Rob- 
ert Morris  sold  the  tract  next  west  of  it,  known  as 

The  100,000-acre  Tract  {now  'partly  called  the  Connecticut 

Tract) 
To  Andrew  Craigie,  James  Watson,  and  James  Greenleaf, 
for  $37,500 ;  Craigie  having  one  half  and  Watson  and 
Greenleaf  each  one  quarter.  Watson  sold  his  interest  to 
Greenleaf;  Greenleaf  sold  "  an  equal  undivided  half  of  the 
100,000  tract"  to  Oliver  Phelps  in  1794  ;  Phelps  sold  his 
"two  equal  undivided  fourth  parts  of  the  100,000  tract"  to 
Dewitt  Clinton  in  1795,  taking  mortgages  upon  the  land  for 
a  part  of  the  purchase-money  due  from  Mr.  Clinton.  The 
lands  reverted  from  Mr.  Clinton  to  Mr.  Phelps  by  a  sale 
made  under  the  mortgages  from  the  former  to  the  latter  ;  were 
afterward  (in  1801)  sold  to  Dudley  Saltonstall,  and  immedi- 
ately afterward  released  by  said  Saltonstall  to  Mr.  Phelps. 
In  April,  1801,  Mr.  Phelps  sold  an  "  undivided  half  of  the 
100,000-acre  tract"  to  the  State  of  Connecticut — considera- 
tion, $125,000 — being  an  investment  of  part  of  the  school- 
fund  of  that  state. 

The  other  half  of  the  100,000-acre  tract,  that  originally 
bought  by  Craigie  from  Robert  Morris,  was  sold  by  Craigie 
to  Charles  Williamson  and  Thomas  Morris  in  1796  ;  Morris 
in  1800  released  his  interest  to  Williamson,  and  the  latter 
in  1801  deeded  "an  equal  undivided  half  of  the  100,000- 
acre  tract"  to  Sir  William  Pulteney ;  from  Sir  William  the 
title  descended  to  his  only  child,  the  Countess  of  Bath  ;  from 
her  to  Sir  John  Lowther  Johnstone,  her  heir ;  and  a  release 
from  Sir  John  to  the  State  of  Connecticut  was  executed  (by 
Robert  Troup,  his  attorney,  for  a  nominal  consideration)  "  to 
carry  into  effect  a  division  of  the  100,000-aere  tract  among 
the  parties  or  tenants  in  common,"  &c.  The  division  was 
accordingly  consummated  between  the  Pulteney  Estate  and 
the  State  of  Connecticut  in  1811. 

Thus  much  for  the  early  arrangements  of  important  minor 
tracts   (minor  as  compared  with  the  Holland  Purchase  or 
Pulteney  Estate)  westward  of  the  celebrated  "  Millyard" 
wherein  the  City  of  Rochester  has  sprung  into  existence. 
14* 


162  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

BOUNDARIES    ALLVDKD    TO. 

Property  Line — Pre-emption  Line — Pennsylvania  Line. 

As  these  terms  are  occasionally  used  in  this  work,  some 
explanation  of  them  may  be  proper. 

1768.  The  ''  Property  Line"  was  drawn  by  an  agree- 
ment beiweenSirWm.  Johnson  and  the  Six  Nations  in  1768 
— to  prevent  collisions  between  the  white  and  red  men  on  the 
score  of  boundary  in  this  (then)  colony.  The  treaty  for 
this  purpose  was  seen  by  De  Witt  Clinton  in  possession  of 
his  uncle  George  Clinton,  but  we  have  not  been  able  to  as- 
certain, even  from  the  records  in  the  State  Department  at 
Albany,  the  particular  provisions  of  that  instrument.  A 
note  from  O.  L.  Holley,  the  present  surveyor-general,  fur- 
nishes us  with  the  following  information  concerning  the  line 
■which  thus  bounded  the  possessions  of  the  colonists  of 
New-York  from  the  territories  of  their  Indian  dependants 
westward  : — 

"On  a  map  (No.  51)  in  this  office,  of  the  easternmost 
range  of  lots  in  the  old  toivnship  of  Clinton,  now  part  of  the 
toxL'n  of  Bainbridge  in  Chenango  county,  the  line  about 
which  you  inquire,  and  which  is  the  eastern  boundary  of  the 
lots  referred  to,  is  laid  down  as  running  '  North  4°  47' 
east.''  The  map  was  made  by  John  Cox,  in  November, 
1787,  from  actual  survey.  The  northern  end  of  the  Prop- 
erty Line  is  at  the  confluence  of  the  Unadilla  River  with 
the  Susquehannah."  Our  impression  was  that  the  line  con- 
tinued in  the  same  direction  northward  to  and  beyond  the 
Mohawk,  &c. 

1790-180L  The  Pre-emption  Lines — for  there  are  two 
of  that  name — originated  thus  :  Although  the  dispute  be- 
tween Massachusetts  and  New-York  respecting  territory  had 
been  amicably  arranged  in  1787  by  an  agreement  which 
bestowed  on  Massachusetts  the  pre-emptive  right  to  the  soil 
of  the  territory  of  New-York  westward  of  a  north  and  south 
line  running  through  Seneca  Lake  (the  right  of  jurisdiction 
being  conceded  to  New-York),  the  easterly  line  of  this  pre- 
emptive tract  was  not  run  till  after  Massachusetts  had  sold 
her  claim  to  Phelps  and  Gorham.  It  was  then  agreed  be- 
tween Phelps  and  Gorham  (or  those  who  bought  the  tract 
from  them),  and  "  the  Lessees"  who  claimed  the  lands  of  the 
Six  Nations  by  virtue  of  extraordinary  leases  for  999  years 


SUBDIVISIONS    OF    WESTERN    NEW- YORK.  163 

(of  which  an  account  is  given  under  the  caption  of  "  A  New 
State  Projected"),  that  the  survey  shouki  be  made  by  two 
surveyors — Hugh  Maxwell  on  the  part  of  the  first-mentioned 
party,  and  a  Mr.  Jenkins  in  behalf  of  the  Lessees. 

These  surveyors  started  from  a  point  on  the  Pennsylvania 
Line,  and  proceeded  together  till  the  provisions  were  nearly 
exhausted.  When  within  about  twenty  miles  from  Geneva, 
and  a  few  miles  below  what  was  called  Hopetown  (near  to 
the  creek  by  which  the  Seneca  Lake  receives  the  waters  of 
Crooked  Lake),  one  of  the  surveyors  (Maxwell)  went  to 
Geneva  for  supplies — Jenkins  meanwhile  continued  running 
the  line  ;  and  it  was  while  he  was  thus  alone  that  a  slight 
jog  occurred  in  the  line,  the  prolongation  of  which  north- 
ward threw  Geneva  (the  settlements  at  which  had  already 
attracted  some  attention)  on  the  east  side  of  the  boundary — 
that  side  whereon  it  was  most  agreeable  to  the  interests  of 
Jenkins's  employers  that  it  should  continue.  Maxwell  re- 
turned with  provisions  and  resumed  the  survey  when  with- 
in about  ten  miles  of  Geneva  ;  and,  unconscious  of  the  devi- 
ation which  occurred  in  his  absence,  he  aided  in  running  the 
boundary  so  that  it  passed  somewhat  westward  of  Geneva. 
The  present  site  of  the  village  of  Lyons  and  the  whole  of 
Sodus  Bay  were  also  thrown  eastward  of  the  line  thus  run 
out.  The  variation  of  the  compass  was,  however,  the 
cause  of  a  far  greater  error  in  running  this  line  than  resulted 
from  the  covetousness  of  possessing  Geneva,  Sic.  One  of  the 
surveyors  of  the  Holland  Company  informed  Maude  in  1800 
that  they  "  put  no  dependance  now  on  the  Mariners'  Com- 
pass in  surveying  land — that  it  will  frequently  give  an  error 
of  sixty  rods,  or  three  hundred  and  thirty  yards  in  ten  miles — 
that  it  gave  an  error  of  84,000  acres  in  running  the  east  line 
of  Captain  Williamson's  Purchase  [or  rather  the  Pulteney 
Estate,  for  which  W.  was  agent — the  land  sold  by  Phelps 
and  Gorham  to  Robert  Morris,  and  by  him  to  Sir  William 
Pulteney],  which  was  not  discovered  till  after  the  deeds 
were  signed  and  the  money  paid."  It  is  added  that  "  the 
difference  was,  hovvever,  generously  yielded  up  by  Mr. 
Morris  to  Captain  Williamson  [for  the  Pulteney  Estate],  who 
otherwise  would  not  only  have  lost  this  quantity  of  land, 
but  would  have  been  cut  off  from  Sodus  Bay,  Seneca  Lake, 
[with  Geneva],  and  the  excellent  situation  of  Hopetown 
Mills  on  the  outlet  of  the  Crooked  Lake,"  a  little  eastward 
of  what  is  now  called  Pen-Yan. 


164  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

The  State  of  New-York  having  compelled  "  the  Lessees" 
to  abandon  their  claims  (of  which  some  particulars  are 
already  given),  disposed  of  some  portions  of  land  about 
Geneva  and  elsewhere,  which  were  found,  on  the  running 
of  the  new  and  correct  pre-emption  line  in  1801,  to  be  within 
the  limits  originally  assigned  by  compromise  to  Massachu- 
setts, whose  right  had  passed  through  Phelps  and  Gorham 
and  Robert  Morris,  into  the  possession  of  Capt.  Williamson, 
agent  of  the  Pulteney  Estate,  of  which  estate  the  land  in 
question  has  since  formed  a  part. 

Some  of  these  particulars  were  communicated  to  us  by 
Augustus  Porter,  Esq.,  of  Niagara  Falls,  one  of  the  ear- 
liest pioneers  of  Western  New-York,  who  assisted  in  run- 
ning the  new  pre-emption  line  in  company  with  Joseph  EUi- 
cott,  the  jfirst  agent  of  the  Holland  Land  Company. 

1786.  As  frequent  reference  is  made  to  the  milestones  on 
the  Pennsylvania  Line,  it  may  be  well  to  state  that  the 
first  ninety  miles  of  the  boundary  had  been  marked  in  Octo- 
ber, 1786,  by  agreement  hetween  James  Clinton  and  Simeon 
Dewitt  in  behalf  of  New-York,  and  Andrew  EUicott  on  be- 
half of  Pennsylvania.  The  agreement  states  that,  for  the 
purpose  of  running  and  marking  a  jurisdiction  line  between 
the  said  states,  to  begin  at  the  River  Delaware,  in  42°  north 
latitude,  and  to  continue  in  the  same  parallel  of  forty-two 
degrees  to  the  western  extremity  of  the  said  states,  the  com- 
missioners finished  ninety  miles  of  the  said  boundary-line, 
extending  from  the  River  Delaware  to  the  western  side  of 
the  south  branch  of  the  Tioga  River,  and  marked  the  same 
with  substantial  milestones. 

In  1787  it  was  agreed  between  commissioners  in  behalf 
of  the  States  of  New- York  and  Pennsylvania,  that  the  "ju- 
risdiction-line" between  those  states  in  the  parallel  of  forty- 
two  degrees  north  latitude,  beginning  at  the  River  Delaware 
and  extending  to  a  meridian  line  drawn  from  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  should  be 
extended  from  the  90th  milestone  to  Lake  Erie,  and  marked 
in  a  permanent  manner  by  milestones,  or  posts  surrounded 
by  mounds  of  earth  where  stones  could  not  be  procured. 
The  stones  at  the  several  points  where  the  latitude  was  de- 
termined are  large  and  well  marked,  and  contain  on  the  south 
side  "Pennsylvania — latitude  42°  north,  1787  ;"  also,  the 
variation  of  the  magnetic  needle  ;  on  the  north  side,  "  New- 


SUBDIVISIONS    OF   WESTERN    NEW- YORK.  165 

York,"  and  their  several  distances  from  the  Delaware  River. 
The  agreement  is  dated  29th  October,  1787,  and  signed  by- 
Abraham  Hardenbergh  and  AVilliam  W.  Morris,  commis- 
sioners from  New-York,  and  Andrew  Ellicott  and  Andrew 
Porter,  commissioners  from  Pennsvlvania. 


WESTERN    NEW-YORK,  AS    IT    WAS    AND    IS. 

In  connexion  witli  the  foregoing  statements  respecting  the 
acquisition  of  the  lands  of  Western  New-York  from  the  In- 
dians, and  the  division  of  those  lands  into  several  large  tracts, 
it  may  be  well  to  trace  the  progress  of  improvement,  as  in- 
dicated by  the  erection  of  counties. 

Seventy  years  ago  the  County  of  Albany  embraced  all 
the  territory  of  New- York  lying  north  of  Ulster  and  west  of 
the  Hudson  River,  as  well  as  all  northward  of  Dutchess  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Hudson.  There  were  then  ten  counties 
in  the  province,  viz.,  New-York,  Westchester,  Dutchess, 
Orange,  Ulster,  Albany,  Richmond,  King's,  Queen's,  and 
Suffolk. 

Charlotte  county  was  taken  from  Albany  in  1772,  and  the 
name  changed  in  1784  to  Washington,  which  it  now  bears!. 
A  part  of  this  county  was  included  with  Cumberland  and 
Gloucester  counties  in  forming  the  State  of  Vermont,  as 
finally  concurred  in  by  this  state  in  1790. 

Tryon  county,  taken  from  Albany  in  1772,  and  named 
after  one  of  the  Brifish  governors,  included  all  the  province 
west  of  a  line  running  nearly  through  the  centre  of  the  pres- 
ent county  of  Schoharie.  There  was  a  change  of  name 
from  Tryon  to  Montgomery  in  1784,  in  honour  of  the  gal- 
lant soldier  who  fell  at  Quebec,  Montgomery  had  then  five 
divisions  or  districts,  called  Mohawk,  Canajoharie,  Palatine, 
German  Flats,  and  Kingsland,  the  two  latter  covering  most 
of  the  western  settlements. 

Ontario  was  taken  from  Montgomery  in  1789,  and  inclu- 
ded all  the  land  of  which  the  pre-emptive  right  had  been 
ceded  to  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  which  that  state  after- 
ward sold  to  Phelps  and  Gorham,  and  which  afterward 
chiefly  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  Holland  Land 
Company  and  the  Pulteney  Estate.  Ontario  county  then 
extended  from  the  Pre-emption  Line   a  mile   eastward  of 


166  SKETCHES   OF   ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

Geneva,  so  as  to  include  within  its  limits  all  the  territory 
within  the  bounds  of  this  state  west  of  that  line.  This  wag 
then  commonly  known  as  the  "  Genesee  country,"  although 
the  title  was  occasionally  more  extensively  applied,  and 
from  it  has  been  formed  the  counties  of  Steuben,  Allegany, 
Cattaraugus,  Chatauque,  Erie,  Niagara,  Genesee,  Orleans, 
Monroe,  Livingston,  Yates,  Wayne  in  part,  leaving  to  a 
tract  around  the  former  chief  town  (Canandaigua)  the  name 
of  Ontario.  Oliver  Phelps  was  appointed  first  judge  on  the 
organization  of  the  county  in  1789;  and  Gen.  Vincent  Ma- 
thews, a  venerable  counsellor  still  practising  at  the  Rochester 
Bar  (1838),  was  the  first  lawyer  ever  admitted  to  practice  in 
the  court  which  thus  then  held  jurisdiction  over  this  western 
region,  from  which  twelve  counties  (excepting  a  part  of  one) 
have  since  been  formed.  (See  article  headed  "  the  Bar  of 
Rochester.") 

Herkimer  county  was  erected  from  Montgomery,  Febru- 
ary 16,  1791 — and  parts  of  Otsego  were  added  to  Herkimer 
in  1816,  with  Danube,  Salisbury,  and  Manheim  from  Mont- 
gomery in  1817. 

Otsego  was  taken  from  Montgomery  on  the  16th  Febru- 
ary, 1791 — since  much  reduced. 

Onondaga  contained  the  Military  Tract  set  apart  by  this 
state  for  the  payment  of  bounties  to  the  soldiers  who  served 
in  behalf  of  this  state  in  the  army  of  the  United  States  du- 
ring the  revolution.  It  was  erected  into  a  county  taken 
from  Herkimer  on  the  5ih  of  March,  1794  ;  and  afterward 
modified  by  the  erection  of  other  counties. 

Tioga  was  taken  from  Montgomery  on  the  16th  February, 
1794 — since  modified. 

Steuben  was  formed  from  Ontario  on  the  18th  March, 
1796 — since  modified. 

Cayuga  was  formed  from  Onondaga  on  the  8th  of  March, 
1799 — and  was  reduced  afterward  by  the  formation  of  other 
counties. 

Oneida  was  taken  from  Herkimer  on  the  15th  March, 
1799 — since  which  it  has  been  much  reduced  by  the  forma- 
tion of  other  counties. 

Genesee  was  taken  from  Ontario,  3d  March,  1802.  The 
Genesee  River  became  the  boundary  between  the  counties, 
and  so  continued  until  the  erection  of  other  counties.  The 
ground  now  covered  by  the  City  of  Rochester,  lying  on  both 
sides  of  the  Genesee  River,  was  thus  divided  between  two 


SUBDIVISIONS    OF   WESTERN   NEW-YORK. 


167 


counties  till  the  erection  of  Monroe  county  in  1821,  of  which 
Rochester  became  the  chief  town. 

Seneca  was  taken  from  Cayuga,  March  24,  1804 — and 
since  modified. 

Allegany,  from  Genesee,  April  7,  1806. 

Chatauque,  Niagara,  and  Cattaraugus  were  formed  into 
counties  from  parts  of  Genesee  county,  on  the  11th  of 
March,  1808. 

Oswego  was  taken  from  Oneida  and  Onondaga  counties, 
March  1,  1816. 

Tompkins  was  taken  from  Cayuga  and  Seneca,  April  7, 
1817 — since  changed  in  limits. 

Monroe,  from  Ontario  and  Genesee,  February  23,  1821 — 
Rochester  being  the  chief  town. 

Erie  county  was  taken  from  Niagara  on  the  2d  April, 
1821 — of  which  Buffalo  is  the  capital. 

Livingston,  from  Ontario  and  Genesee,  February  23, 
1823. 

Yates,  from  Ontario,  February  5,  1823. 

Wayne,  from  Ontario  and  Seneca,  April  11,  1823. 

Orleans,  from  Genesee,  November  11,  1824. 

Chemung,  from  Tioga,  March  29,  1836. 

An  estimate  of  the  comparative  wealth  and  population  of 
the  ten  counties  into  which  the  Province  of  New- York  was 
divided  before  the  revolution,  may  be  formed  from  an  in- 
spection of  the  assessments  about  the  year  1760.  In  raising 
a  tax  of  £10,000,  part  of  a  tax  of  £45,000  laid  in  1755,  the 
proportions  settled  by  an  act  of  the  Assembly,  as  related  in 
Smith's  History,  stood  thus  : 

New-York,  city  and  county, 

King's, 

Suffolk, 


Richmond, 

Ulster, 

Dutchess, 

Orange, 

Westchester 

Queen's, 

Albany,  including  all 


he  remainder  of 


the  state  since  subdivided  as  above 
shoxon. 


£3332 

484 
860 
300 
860 
800 
300 
1100 
1000 


1060 


While  the  Province  of  Connecticut,  vastly  inferior  in  ex- 


168  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

tent,  contained  in  1755  about  133,000  people,  with  a  militia 
of  27,000  men — the  population  of  the  Province  of  New- 
York  was  computed  at  not  more  than  100,000,  with  a  mili- 
tia amounting  to  18,000.  Monroe  county  alone  contains  a 
white  population  about  two  thirds  as  large  as  the  whole  ter- 
ritory of  New- York  contained  at  the  above-mentioned  date. 


]sfoxE. — The  principal  tracts  into  which  Western  New- 
York  was  early  divided,  are  thus  shown  to  have  been  the 
Holland  Purchase,  the  Pulteney  Estate,  and  the  Military 
Tract.  The  lands  in  all  these  tracts  are  chiefly  sold  and 
occupied,  although  some  minor  tracts  bought  from  the  Hol- 
land Company  by  associations  are  yet  sparsely  settled.  The 
public  improvements  by  canals  and  railroads  v/ill  soon  leave 
little  land  unimproved  in  the  southern  tier  of  our  western 
counties,  wherein  the  wild  tracts  are  chiefly  located. 

In  the  Pulteney  Estate,  Captain  Williamson  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  agency  by  Colonel  Robert  Troup — and  Jo- 
seph Fellovves,  of  Geneva,  is  the  present  agent. 

The  general  agents  of  the  Holland  Company  have  usually 
resided  in  Philadelphia.  The  first  local  agent  at  Batavia 
was  Joseph  EUicott — and  David  E.  Evans  has  been  agent 
for  several  years. 

The  Military  Tract  was  necessarily  so  frequently  noticed 
in  the  accounts  of  the  other  tracts  and  in  the  arrangements 
with  the  Indians,  that  a  brief  account  of  it  here  has  been 
deemed  advisable. 

The  interests  of  various  kinds  which  the  people  of  Ro- 
chester have  in  the  surrounding  country  will  doubtless  ren- 
der acceptable  to  many  of  them  the  particulars  now  inserted. 

Of  the  minor  tracts,  in  which  Rochester  is  considerably  in- 
terested, we  have  noticed  the  two  next  westward — the  "  Tri- 
angle," and  the  "  Connecticut"  or  "  Hundred  Thousand- 
acre  Tract" — respecting  which  latter  the  Messrs.  Ward,  of 
Rochester,  have  an  agency. 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT. 


HIGHWAYS — CANALS — RAILROADS. 

The  advantages  which  we  now  enjoy  cannot  be  ade- 
quately appreciated  by  those  who  reflect  not  on  the  former 
condition  of  things.  What  vast  changes  in  all  the  business 
relations  of  the  country  have  been  effected  vpithin  thirty  or 
forty  years  !  An  account  of  the  origin  and  progress  of 
roadmaking  on  the  principal  routes  may  serve  as  a  toler- 
ably good  index  of  the  progress  of  improvement  in  the  early 
settlement  of  Western  New-York — while  the  retrospect  may 
form  a  fitting  prelude  to  the  account  that  will  shortly  be 
given  of  the  System  of  Internal  Improvement  by  canals  and 
railroads  which  has  so  suddenly  and  wonderfully  trans- 
formed the  appearance  of  the  country,  and  showered  innu- 
merable benefits  on  the  people,  not  merely  of  Western  New- 
York,  but  of  the  state  at  large,  and  of  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  Union. 

"  The  truth  of  the  case  was,"  says  a  traveller  in  1800, 
when  accounting  for  the  settlement  which  Capt.  Williamson 
(agent  of  the  Pulteney  Estate)  made  on  the  high  lands  of 
Steuben  county  in  preference  to  the  richer  lands  in  the 
northerly  part  of  the  tract — '•'■  The  truth  of  the  case  was, 
that  Capt.  Williamson  saw  very  clearly,  on  his  first  visit  to 
the  country,  that  the  Susquehannah,  and  not  the  Mohawk, 
would  be  ultimately  its  best  friend.  Even  now  it  has  proved 
so  ;  for  at  this  day  (in  the  year  1800)  a  bushel  of  wheat  is 
better  worth  one  hundred  cents  at  Bath  than  sixty  cents  at 
Geneva.  This  diff'erence  will  grow  wider  every  year ;  for 
little,  if  any,  additional  improvement  can  be  made  in  the 
water  communication  with  New- York,  while  that  to  Bal- 
timore will  admit  of  very  extensive  and  advantageous 
ones,"  &c. 

What  a  commentary  on  the  former  condition  of  things  is 
presented  by  the  present  course  of  trade  and  price  of  trans- 
portation through  Western  New-York ! 

15 ,,. ,,  , :- 


170  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

"In  November,  1804,"  says  the  Albany  Gazette,  "a 
wagon-load  of  wheat  was  brought  by  four  yoke  of  oxen  from 
Bloomfield  (Ontario  county)  to  Albany,  a  distance  of  230 
miles.  The  wheat  was  purchased  at  Bloomfield  for  5^.  cur- 
rency per  bushel  (62|  cents),  and  sold  at  Albany  for  17*.  Sd. 
per  bushel  (two  dollars  and  15-^  cents).  The  journey  going 
and  returninii  may  be  performed  in  twenty  days,  notwith- 
standing the  badness  of  the  roads  at  this  season." 

But  let  us  see  the  gradual  progress  of  improvement  as  ev- 
idenced by  the  laws  passed  concerning  the 

Highways  of  Western  JSew-  York. 

In  1792  "  the  road  from  Geneva  to  Canadagua  was  only 
an  Indian  path,"  says  Col.  Williamson,  in  a  note  to  Maude's 
travels.  "On  this  road  there  were  only  two  families  then 
settled  ;  and  Canadagua,  the  county  town,  consisted  of 
only  two  small  frame  houses  and  a  few  huts,  surrounded 
by  thick  woods.  From  Canadagua  to  the  Genesee  River 
[at  Canawagus  or  Avon],  twenty-six  miles,  only  four  fami- 
lies resided  on  the  road.  Through  all  this  country  there 
are  not  only  signs  of  extensive  cultivation  having  been  made 
at  some  early  period,  but  there  are  found  the  remains  of  old 
forts,  where  the  ditches  and  gates  are  still  visible."  (See 
notices  of  Antiquities  in  this  volume.) 

Patrick  Campbell,  who  travelled  through  Western  New- 
York  in  March,  1792,  mentions  that  "the  whole  distance 
from  the  Onondaga  Hollow  to  Cayuga  was  in  forest" — and 
that  in  Marcellus  township  he  met  with  only  one  house  and 
two  new  erected  huts. 

1794,  On  the  22d  of  March,  1794,  three  commissioners 
were  appointed  for  laying  out  a  road,  authorized  by  law, 
from  old  Fort  Schuyler  (Utica),  running  as  nearly  straight  as 
practicable  to  the  Cayuga  Ferry  [then]  in  Onondaga  coun- 
ty, or  to  the  outlet  of  Cayuga  Lake,  as  they  might  choose  ; 
thence  to  Canadagua  (Canandaigua)  ;  and  thence  to  the  set- 
tlement at  Canawagus  (now  Avon)  on  Genesee  River,  where 
the  first  bridge  across  that  stream  was  built — (no  bridge  was 
erected  where  Rochester  now  stands  till  1812).  The  road 
to  be  six  rods  wide  ;  and,  for  aiding  in  its  construction,  £600 
was  appropriated  out  of  the  proceeds  of  Military  Lands  for 
making  the  road  through  that  tract — with  £1500  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  road,  equal  portions  of  said  sum  to  be  spent 
in  Herkimer  and  Ontario. 


PROGRESS    OF    IMPROVEMENT.  171 

1798.  The  directions  given  to  travellers  about  this  time 
form  a  curious  contrast  to  the  condition  of  things  in  1838. 
"  Should  curiosity  induce  you  to  visit  the  Falls  of  Niagara," 
says  Col.  Williamson  in  a  note  to  Maude's  travels,  "you 
will  proceed  from  Geneva  by  the  state  road  to  the  Genesee 
River,  which  you  will  cross  at  New-Hartford  [now  Avon], 
west  of  which  you  will  find  the  country  settled  for  about 
twelve  miles  ;  but  after  that,  for  sixty-five  miles  to  the  Ni- 
agara River,  the  country  still  remains  a  wilderness.  This 
road  was  used  so  much  last  year  (1797)  by  people  on  busi- 
ness, or  by  those  whom  curiosity  had  led  to  visit  the  Falls 
of  Niagara,  that  a  station  was  fixed  at  the  Big  Plains 
(twelve  hours  ride,  or  38  miles  west  of  the  Genesee)  to 
shelter  travellers.  At  this  place  there  are  two  roads  that 
lead  to  Niagara  River :  the  south  road  goes  by  Buffalo 
Creek,  the  other  by  Tonawanda  village  to  Queenston  or 
Lewiston  landing.  The  road  by  Buffalo  Creek  is  most 
used,  both  because  it  is  better,  and  because  it  commands  a 
view  of  Lake  Erie ;  and  the  road  from  this  to  the  falls  is 
along  the  banks  of  the  Niagara  River — a  very  interesting 
ride."  "  Queenstown  contains  from  twenty  to  thirty  houses," 
says  Mr.  Maude.  "  On  the  side  of  the  river  opposite  to 
Queenstown  [where  Lewiston  now  stands],  the  government 
of  the  United  States  design  to  establish  a  landing,  or,  rather, 
to  renew  the  old  portage  to  Fort  Schlosser.  There  are  at 
present  only  two  houses  there,  one  of  which  is  the  ferry- 
house  ;  a  road  being  opened  from  this  to  Tannawantee,  dis- 
tant only  thirty  miles."  "Another  scheme  of  the  Anglo- 
Americans,"  continues  Maude,  "  is  to  do  away  the  necessity 
of  a  portage  by  substituting  a  canal  around  the  Niagara 
Falls — an  object  best  explained  by  a  quotation  from  Capt. 
Williamson's  Account  of  the  Genesee."  (See  notices  of  In- 
ternal Improvement  in  this  work.) 

1799.  "  The  road  from  Fort  Schuyler  (Utica)  to  the  Gen- 
esee, which  in  June,  1797,  was  little  better  than  an  Indian 
path,"  says  Col.  Williamson,  former  agent  of  the  Pulteney 
Estate,  "  was  so  far  improved  that  a  stage  started  from  Fort 
Schuyler  on  the  30th  September  following,  and  arrived  at 
the  hotel  of  Geneva  in  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day,  with 
four  passengers.  This  line  of  road  having  been  established 
by  law,  not  less  than  fifty  families  settled  on  it  in  the  space 
of  four  months  after  it  was  opened.  It  now  bids  fair  to  be, 
in  a  few  years,  one  continued  settlement  from  Fort  Schuy- 


172        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

ler  (Utica)  to  the  Genesee  River.  All  last  winter  (1797)  two 
stages,  one  of  them  a  mailstage,  ran  from  Geneva  and  Can; 
adarqiia  to  Albany  weekly." 

1800.  "The  great  Genesee  road  turns  off  at  this  place 
(Utica)  ;  an  act  has  lately  passed  for  making  it  a  turnpike 
road  to  Geneva  and  Canadarqua,  and  the  expense  is  esti- 
mated at  $1000  per  mile — the  road  to  be  four  rods  wide," 
says  Maude,  an  English  traveller  in  1800.  "The  inhab- 
itants of  Utica,"  he  adds,  "  subscribed  to  finish  the  first  mile  : 
they  formed  twenty  shares  of  $50  each  :  these  shares  they 
afterward  sold  to  Colonel  Walker  and  Mr.  Post  (for  forty- 
four  cents  the  dollar),  who  have  finished  the  first  mile — and 
it  is  expected  that  thirty  miles  will  be  finished  before  the 
winter  sets  in.      Utica  contains  about  sixty  houses." 

There  was  a  bridge  across  the  Mohawk  at  Utica  at  this 
time. 

1800.  "  A  very  handsome  road,  four  rods,  or  sixty-six  feet 
in  width,  has  been  cut  out  the  whole  distance  from  the  Gen- 
esee River  [at  Avon]  to  Ganson's,  being  twelve  miles  nearly 
in  a  straight  line  westward,"  says  Maude. 

A  new  road  was  commenced  from  Buffalo  eastward,  and 
three  miles  of  it  completed  this  year — similar  to  the  road  cut 
by  Capt.  Williamson  from  the  Genesee  River  to  Ganson's. 

1801.  The  law  of  the  8th  April,  1801,  relating  to  high- 
ways, provided  that,  in  all  cases  of  carriages  or  sleighs 
meeting  westward  of  Schenectady,  on  the  great  roads  run- 
ning eastwardly  and  westwardly  on  either  side  of  the  Mo- 
hawk River,  and  contiguous  thereto,  and  from  the  village  of 
Utica,  Oneida  county,  to  the  town  of  Canandarqua,  in  the 
county  of  Ontario,  the  carriages  or  sleighs  going  westwardly 
should  give  way  to  those  travelling  eastwardly,  under  fine 
of  $3. 

By  the  same  law,  the  rivers  forming  the  outlets  of  Canan- 
darqua, Seneca,  Otsego,  and  Cayuga  Lakes,  and  as  much  of 
the  outlet  of  the  Crooked  Lake  as  is  contained  between  the 
Seneca  Lake  and  the  lowest  millseat  on  the  said  outlet,  and 
the  rivers  formed  by  the  outlets  of  the  Ovvasco  and  Skane- 
atelas  Lakes  from  their  respective  junctions  with  the  Seneca 
River  to  the  first  falls  in  each  of  the  said  rivers  ;  Nine-mile 
Creek,  falling  into  Salt  Lake,  the  outlet  of  said  lake  ;  the 
Canaseraga  and  Chittenango  Creeks  ;  Limestone  and  But- 
ternut Creeks,  to  their  first  falls  ;  Genesee  River,  from  the 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.  173 

great  fall  until  its  junction  with  Canaseraga  Creek  ;  also  the 
said  creek  to  the  south  boundary  of  township  number  seven, 
seventh  range,  in  [what  was  then]  Ontario  county ;  also, 
Mud  Creek,  from  the  eastern  boundary  of  township  number 
twelve,  third  range,  to  the  outlet  of  Canandarqua  Lake  ; 
also,  the  Eivers  Conhocton  and  Canisteo,  the  one  from  the 
mills  near  Bath,  the  other  from  Big  Marsh  to  Tioga  River, 
and  all  the  river  within  the  state  ;  also,  the  west  l^ranch  of 
Chenango  River,  from  the  north  bounds  of  Virgil  to  the 
east  branch  ;  thence  down  to  Susquehannah  River,  and  all 
that  river  in  this  state  ;  also,  Oneida  Creek,  from  the  bridge 
near  Oneida  Castle  to  Oneida  Lake — were  all  declared  high- 
ways, excepting  privileges  for  building  stores  and  docks. 

Cayuga  Bridge  was  commenced  in  May,  1799,  and  fin- 
ished in  September,  1800.  The  length  a  mile  and  a  quarter, 
the  width  admitted  three  wagons  abreast.  It  was  built  by 
the  Manhattan  Company  of  New-York,  and  cost  $150,000. 
"  This  bridge  is  the  longest  in  America — perhaps  in  the 
world — and  yet,  five  years  ag^,"  says  a  traveller  in  1800, 
"  the  Indians  possessed  the  shores  of  the  lake,  imbosomed 
in  almost  impenetrable  woods." 

1804.  John  Swift,  Grover  Smith,  and  John  Ellis  were 
appointed  commissioners  to  explore  and  lay  out  a  public 
road  of  at  least  four  rods  wide,  from  the  village  of  Salina 
in  Onondaga  county,  to  the  northwest  corner  of  the  town- 
ship of  Galen,  and  from  thence  through  the  towns  of  Pal- 
myra and  Northfield  (now  Penfield),  to  or  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Genesee  River — the  expense  of  exploring  and  laying 
out  said  road  to  be  borne  equally  by  the  counties  through 
which  the  route  lay,  viz.  :  Onondaga,  Cayuga,  and  Ontario, 
according  to  the  then  divisions  of  the  state. 

1810.  Micah  Brooks,  Hugh  M'Nair,  and  Matthew  War- 
ner acted  as  state  commissioners  ibr  laying  out  a  road  from 
Arkport  to  Charlotte,  to  connect  the  navigation  of  the  Sus- 
quehannah with  Lake  Ontario  at  the  mouth  of  Genesee 
River.  When  at  the  spot  where  now  stands  the  City  of 
Rochester,  they  enjoyed  the  hospitalities  of  the  "  first  hotel" 
hereabouts — first  in  erection  and  in  character — for  it  was 
the  only  frame  dwelling  then  in  existence  at  this  point. 
Their  bedstead  Avas  of  primitive  solidity,  resting  as  they 
did  on  a  strawheap  and  bearskin  on  the  ground  floor. 
(The  little  frame  shantee  yet  exists,  nearly  opposite  the  Sec- 
15* 


174  SKETCHES   OF    ROCHESTER,  ETC 

end  Methodist  Church  in  St.  Paul's-street ;  and  is  one  of  the 
two  represented  in  the  frontispiece,  "  Rochester  in  1812.") 

In  the  same  year  the  same  commissioners  laid  out  a  road 
from  Canandaigua  to  Oleaii,  to  connect  the  turnpike  at  Can- 
andaigua  with  the  Mississippi  Valley  through  the  Allegany 
River. 

1810.  Commissioners  were  appointed  to  explore  and  lay 
out  a  highway,  at  least  four  rods  wide,  from  the  bridge  over 
Genesee  River,  near  the  village  of  Hartford  [now  Avon], 
in  the  town  of  Avon,  in  the  county  of  Ontario,  to  the  vil- 
lage of  New-Amsterdam  [now  Bufl'alo],  in  the  county  of 
Niagara.  Erie  county,  which  includes  Buffalo,  has  been 
cut  off  from  Niagara  since  this  date.  The  road  to  be  open- 
ed by  the  people  of  the  counties  through  which  the  line 
runs,  &CC. 

1812.  Commissioners  were  appointed  to  superintend  the 
improvement  of  the  road  laid  out  from  Genesee  River  at 
Avon  to  Buffalo,  via  Batavia.  $5000  to  be  paid  for  such 
improvement  by  the  state  from  the  proceeds  of  state  lands 
on  the  Niagara  frontier. 

1812.  The  construction  of  the  first  bridge  at  Rochester 
caused  the  diversion  of  some  travelling  from  the  other  route, 
and  gave  an  impetus  to  the  making  of  roads  pointing  to  this 
bridging-place — it  being  the  only  point  whereat  the  river 
could  then  be  crossed  in  that  way  between  Avon  and  Lake 
Ontario.  "It  may  tend  to  give  an  idea  of  the  commercial 
and  civil  importance  of  this  section  at  that  time,"  says  Eve- 
rard  Peck,  Esq.,  in  the  Rochester  Directory  for  1827,  "to 
state  that  the  mail  was  in  1812  carried  from  Canandaigua 
once  a  week  on  horseback,  and  part  of  the  time  by  a  woman  !" 

1813.  The  Legislature  granted  $5000  for  cutting  out  the 
path  and  bridging  the  streams  on  the  Ridge-Road  (between 
Rochester  and  Lewiston),  which  was  then  almost  impassa- 
ble. 

1814.  Jabez  Bradley,  David  Ogden,  and  others  were  in- 
corporated, with  a  capital  of  $20,000,  in  shares  of  $20  each, 
to  make  a  turnpike-road  from  the  termination  of  the  "  fourth 
great  western  turnpike-road,"  in  the  town  of  Homer,  Cort- 
land county,  through  the  towns  of  Locke  and  Genoa,  Cay- 
uga county,  to  the  east  shore  of  Cayuga  Lake. 

1815.  James  Ganson,  Joseph  M'Clure,  and  Ira  Selby 
were  appointed  to  lay  out  and  establish  a  road,  beginning  at 
Van   Orman's  in  the  town  of  Canandaigua,  to  the  bridge 


PROGRESS    OF    IMPROVEMENT.  175 

[then]  to  be  erected  across  the  Genesee  River  near  the 
house  of  Horatio  Jones  [between  Geneseo  and  Moscow], 
conforming  to  and  as  near  the  present  postroad  as  may  be ; 
thence  in  the  nearest  direction  to  the  southeasterly  shore  of 
Lake  Erie,  between  the  house  of  Zenas  Barker  and  the 
mouth  of  Eighteen-mile  Creek — the  expense  of  such  laying 
out  to  be  borne  by  the  three  counties  through  which  the 
road  was  to  pass,  viz.  :  Ontario,  Genesee,  and  Niagara,  ac- 
cording to  the  then  existing  divisions  of  the  state. 

1815.  Samuel  Hildreth,  of  Pittsford,  commenced  running 
a  stage  and  carrying  the  mail  twice  a  week  between  Can- 
andaigua  and  Rochester,  a  distance  of  twenty-eight  miles. 

In  the  same  year  a  private  weekly  mailroute  was  estab- 
lished between  Rochester  and  Lewiston  on  the  Niagara 
River — dependant  on  the  income  of  the  postoffices  on  the 
route  for  its  support.     And  it  was  not  till 

1816  that  any  inquiry  was  deemed  proper  "as  to  the 
expediency  of  establishing  a  postroute  from  the  village  of 
Canandaigua,  by  way  of  the  village  of  Rochester,  to  the 
village  of  Lewiston,  in  the  county  of  Niagara  and  State  of 
New- York" — a  resolution  to  this  effect  having  then  been 
presented  to  Congress  by  Gen.  Micah  Brooks  (then  the  only 
representative  of  the  double  district  which  included  all  that 
portion  of  the  state  westward  of  Seneca  Lake — Gen.  Peter 
B.  Porter,  his  colleague,  having  been  appointed  a  commis- 
sioner to  settle  the  boundary  question  with  Great  Britain). 

The  simple  fact  that  ten  mails  for  various  quarters  leave 
the  City  of  Rochester  daily  in  1837,  is  sufficient  (without 
particular  reference  to  canal,  lake,  or  railroad  communica- 
tions) to  indicate  the  contrast  which  the  present  state  of 
things  furnishes  to  that  set  forth  in  the  foregoing  statements. 


ORIGIN  AND  PROGRESS  OF  THE  CANAL  SYSTEM. 

The  extent  to  which  the  people  of  Rochester  are  interest- 
ed in  the  navigation  of  the  Erie  Canal — an  extent  which  may 
be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  they  either  own  or  control 
about  one  half  of  the  stock  in  all  the  regular  transportation 
lines  on  that  great  water-way* — will  doubtless  furnish  to 
them  a  sufficient  apology  for  the  length  of  the  following  ar- 

*  See  article  concerning  the  "  Canal  Trade  of  Rochester." 


176  SKETCHES    OP    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

tide,  in  which  we  have  endeavoured  to  trace  the  agencies 
that  have  resulted  in  establishing  that  system  of  intek- 
NAL  IMPROVEMENT,  of  whicli  the  Erie  Canal  is  the  grand- 
est feature.  The  necessity  already  existing  for  enlarging 
that  important  thoroughfare  has  a  tendency  to  increase  the 
interest  manifested  by  our  citizens  on  this  subject.  The 
fact  that  several  of  the  most  influential  agents  in  establish- 
ing the  Canal  Policy  are  personally  known  to  many  among 
us — some  of  them  having  resideil,  or  being  still  residents  in 
Rochester  and  the  surrounding  country — combines  with  the 
other  considerations  in  inducing  us  to  present,  as  fully  as  prac- 
ticable in  this  work,  as  many  particulars  as  seemed  necessary 
to  elucidate  the  origin  and  progress  of  that  essential  policy 
of  the  state.  With  the  facts  already  given  respecting  the 
highways  of  Western  New-York,  those  who  are  not  conver- 
sant with  the  subject  may  find  here  some  interesting  data 
concerning  the  early  history  of  the  country,  the  progressive 
settlement  of  which  is  pretty  clearly  indicated  by  the  march 
of  improvement  in  the  matters  of  roadmaking  and  canalling. 
These  canal  operations  might  have  been  much  more  briefly 
despatched  ;  but  it  has  been  deemed  advisable  to  quote  lib- 
erally the  language  of  those  who  were  chiefly  instrumental 
in  producing  the  glorious  results  in  the  history  of  our  Inter- 
nal Improvements. 

The  remarkable  features  of  Western  New- York,  with  ref- 
erence to  water  communications,  early  arrested  the  attention 
of  the  pioneers,  as  they  had  previously  commanded  the  no- 
tice of  the  Indian  occupants  of  the  country.  The  interlock- 
age  of  streams  rolling  their  waters  to  the  ocean  in  various  di- 
rections, the  benefits  resulting  from  the  many  lakes  diversi- 
fying the  surface  of  this  region,  the  facilities  furnished  by 
the  chain  of  inland  seas  with  which  connexion  exists  on  the 
north  and  west,  and  with  the  rivers  flowing  towards  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  towards  the  Bays  of  Chesapeake,  Del- 
aware, and  New-York,  presented  such  manifold  attractions 
as  might  well  command  the  consideration  of  contemplative 
minds,  while  suggesting  to  the  trader  and  soldier  the  advan- 
tages inseparable  from  suitable  canals  in  lieu  of  portages 
between  the  various  waters  which  thus  wonderfully  approx- 
imate at  their  sources  or  in  their  courses  towards  opposite 
points  of  the  continent. 

When  the  British  supplanted  the  Dutch  in  possession  of 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.  177 

the  Province  (now  State)  of  New-York,  the  streams  which 
■with  short  portages  connected  the  Hudson  River  with  I^ake 
Charaplain  and  with  Lake  Ontario,  were  the  routes  by  which 
intercourse  was  maintained  in  peace  or  war  between  the  tra- 
ding-posts on  the  lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence  and  those  on 
the  Hudson.  So  that,  for  purposes  of  trade  or  blood,  these 
nearly  perfect  water-communications  were  early  and  well 
known  to  the  traders  and  soldiers,  as  well  as  to  the  Red 
Men  who  came  to  traffic  with,  or  to  fight  for  or  against  the 
English  colonies. 

Dr.  Golden,  the  historian  of  the  Five  Nations,  who  was 
surveyor-general  of  the  Province  of  New-York,  prepared  a 
map  for  his  work  about  a  hundred  years  ago,  showing  the 
present  territory  of  this  state  and  other  lands  which  were 
included  therewith  in  what  were  known  as  the  hunting- 
grounds  of  those  enterprising  tribes.  That  map  early  ren- 
dered many  familiar  with  the  facilities  of  water-communica- 
tion which  ihey  had  not  practically  experienced.  Indeed, 
so  closely  were  the  waters  of  the  Hudson  and  the  St.  Law- 
rence known  to  approach,  that  some  travellers  about  the 
middle  of  the  last  century  wrote  on  the  supposition  that  the 
water-communication  was  actually  perfect.  It  was  because 
of  the  convenience  of  the  communications  with  the  country  of 
the  Iroquois  or  Five  Nations,  that  Gov.  Burnet,  in  1726,  erect- 
ed a  fort  and  trading-house  where  Oswego  now  stands,  "  be- 
tween the  lakes  and  Schenectady,  there  being  but  three  port- 
ages, and  those  very  short."  "I  have  said  that  when  we 
are  in  Lake  Ontario  we  are  upon  a  level  with  the  French, 
because  here  we  can  meet  with  all  the  Indians  that  design 
to  go  to  Montreal,"  said  the  venerable  Golden  about  a  hun- 
dred years  ago.  "  But,  besides  this  passage  hy  the  lakes, 
there  is  a  river  [now  called  the  Seneca]  which  comes  from 
the  country  of  the  Senecas,  and  falls  into  the  Onondaga 
[now  Oswego]  River,  by  which  we  have  an  easy  carriage 
into  that  country  without  going  near  Lake  Ontario.  The 
head  of  this  river  goes  near  to  Lake  Erie,  and  probably 
may  give  a  very  near  passage  into  that  lake,  much  more 
advantageous  than  the  way  the  French  are  obliged  to  take 
by  the  great  Fall  of  Niagara,"  &c.  Thus  early  was  atten- 
tion turned  to  the  streams  of  Western  New-York — to  the 
waters  leading  towards  Lake  Erie,  as  well  as  towards  the 
Ontario. 

The  route  from  the  Hudson  to  Lake  Ontario  was  through 


178        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

the  Mohawk  River,  Wood  Creek,  Oneida  Lake,  and  Oswe- 
go River.  The  portage  between  the  Mohawk  and  Wood 
Creek  was  about  three  or  four  miles  long.  The  navigation 
of  the  Mohawk  itself  was  somewhat  interrupted  by  rifts  and 
bars,  as  well  as  falls,  which  were  obviated  by  short  portages. 

The  route  from  tlie  Hudson  to  Lake  Chaniplain  was  by 
another  creek  called  Wood  Creek,  between  whicii  and  the 
Hudson  there  was  a  short  portage. 

Governor  Moore,  in  1768,  urged  upon  the  Colonial  Legis- 
lature the  propriety  of  improving  the  route  between  Sche- 
nectady and  Lake  Ontario,  staling  that  "  obstructions  in  the 
Mohawk  River,  occasioned  by  the  Falls  of  Conojoharie,  had 
been  constantly  complained  of,  and  that  it  was  obvious  to  all 
who  were  conversant  in  matters  of  this  kind,  that  the  diffi- 
culty could  be  easily  remedied  by  sluices  upon  the  plan  of 
those  in  the  great  canal  of  Languedoc  in  France,  which  was 
made  to  open  a  communication  between  the  Atlantic  and  the 
Mediterranean." 

The  Ontario  route  to  the  lakes,  as  well  as  the  Champlain 
route  from  the  Hudson  to  Montreal,  was  thus  evidently  well 
understood  even  before  the  revolution,  though  nolliing  effi- 
cient was  accomplished  towards  the  completion  of  the  routes 
by  constructing  canals  or  sluices  at  the  several  portages. 

It  is  worliiy  of  notice,  that  the  chief  who  led  the  American 
people  through  the  revolution  was  foremost  in  turning  at- 
tention to  the  improvement  of  these  and  other  water  commu- 
nications after  the  restoration  of  peace.  The  subject  had 
previously  largely  occupied  his  attention,  and  his  resignation 
of  military  command  was  speedily  followed  by  a  tour  of  in- 
spection through  Western  New- York.  The  feelings  with 
which  Washington  was  animated  are  vividly  portrayed,  not 
merely  by  his  biographer,  but  by  his  own  letters,  as  will  be 
seen  by  the  following  paragrapli  from  Marshall's  History: — 

"  To  a  person  looking  beyond  the  present  moment,  and 
taking  the  future  into  view,  it  is  only  necessary  to  glance 
over  the  map  of  the  United  States  to  be  impressed  with  the 
incalculable  importance  of  connecting  the  western  with  the 
eastern  territorj^  by  facilitating  the  means  of  intercourse  be- 
tween them.  To  this  subject  the  attention  of  Gen.  Wash- 
ington had  been  in  some  measure  directed  in  the  early  part 
of  his  life.  While  the  American  states  were  yet  British 
colonies,  he  had  obtained  the  passage  of  a  bill  empowering 
those  individuals  who  would  engage  in  the  work  to  open  the 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.  179 

Potomac  so  as  to  render  it  navigable  from  the  tide  to  Wills's 
Creek.  The  James  River  had  also  been  comprehended  in 
his  plan ;  and  he  had  triumphed  so  far  over  the  opposition 
produced  by  local  interests  and  prejudices,  that  the  business 
was  in  a  train  which  promised  success,  when  the  revolution- 
ary war  diverted  the  attention  of  its  patrons,  and  of  all  Amer- 
ica, from  internal  improvements  to  the  great  objects  of  liberty 
and  independence.  As  that  war  approached  its  termination, 
subjects  which  for  a  time  had  yielded  their  pretensions  to 
consideration  reclaimed  that  place  to  which  their  real  mag- 
nitude entitled  them ;  and  the  internal  navigation  again  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  wise  and  thinking  part  of  society. 
Accustomed  to  contemplate  America  as  his  country,  and  to 
consider  with  solicitude  the  interests  of  the  whole,  Washing- 
ton now  took  a  more  enlarged  view  of  the  advantages  to  be 
derived  from  opening  both  the  eastern  and  western  waters  ; 
and  for  this  as  well  as  for  other  purposes,  after  peace  had 
been  proclaimed,  he  traversed  the  western  parts  of  New- 
England  and  New- York.  '  I  have  lately,'  said  he,  in  a  let- 
ter to  the  Marquis  of  Chastellux,  a  foreigner  who  was  in 
pursuit  of  literary  as  well  as  of  military  fame,  '  I  have  lately 
made  a  tour  through  the  Lakes  George  and  Champlain,  as 
far  as  Crown  Point ;  then  returning  to  Schenectady,  I  pro- 
ceeded up  the  Mohawk  River  to  Fort  Schuyler  [or  Stanwix], 
crossed  over  to  Wood  Creek,  which  empties  into  the  Oneida 
Lake,  and  affords  the  water  communication  with  Ontario. 
I  then  traversed  the  country  to  the  head  of  the  eastern  banks 
of  the  Susquehannah,  and  viewed  the  Lake  Otsego  and  the 
portage  between  that  lake  and  the  Mohawk  River  at  Cana- 
joharie.  Prompted  by  these  actual  observations,  I  could 
not  help  taking  a  more  contemplative  and  extensive  view  of 
the  vast  inland  navigation  of  these  United  States,  and  could 
not  but  be  struck  whh  the  immense  diffusion  and  importance 
of  it,  and  with  the  goodness  of  that  Providence  who  has 
dealt  his  favours  with  so  profuse  a  hand.  Would  to  God 
we  may  have  wisdom  to  improve  them  !  I  shall  not  rest 
contented  until  I  have  explored  the  western  country,  and 
traversed  those  lines  (or  great  part  of  them)  which  have 
given  bounds  to  a  new  empire.'  " 

After  returning  from  a  journey  westward  as  far  as  Pitts- 
burgh, in  the  same  year,  Washington  immediately  appealed 
to  the  Virginians  to  embark  in  an  enterprise  for  improving 
the  water-courses,  so  as  to  connect  the  east  and  west  as  in- 


180  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

timately  as  possible — a  matter  which  he  deemed  not  more 
important  in  a  commercial  view  than  in  a  political  aspect, 
seeing  that  the  Spaniards  then  swayed  the  regions  beyond 
tlie  Mississippi,  and  controlled  the  outlet  of  that  river.  He 
urged  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  report  the  best 
means  for  improving  the  James  and  Potomac  Rivers,  and  to 
designate  the  best  portages  between  those  waters  and  the 
streams  capable  of  improvement  which  run  into  the  Ohio. 
The  navigable  waters  west  of  the  Oliio  towards  the  great 
lakes  were  also  to  be  traced  to  their  sources,  and  those 
which  empty  into  the  lakes  to  be  followed  to  their  mouths. 
"  These  things  being  done,  and  an  accurate  map  of  the  whole 
presented  to  tlie  public,"  he  "  was  persuaded  that  reason 
would  dictate  what  was  right  and  proper."  He  looked  to 
Congress  for  encouragement  to  the  portion  of  the  project 
which  concerned  the  streams  in  the  territory  northwest  of 
the  Ohio — urging  the  benelils  to  be  derived  from  the  en- 
hanced value  of  lands  as  a  suflicient  inducement,  independ- 
ent of  the  many  advantages  incident  to  the  enterprise. 
"  Nature  had  made  such  an  ample  display  of  her  bounties 
in  those  regions,"  he  said,  "  that,  the  more  the  country 
was  explored,  the  more  it  would  rise  in  estimation." 

'l"he  influence  of  Washington  was  strenuously  exerted  to 
arouse  Maryland  to  co-operate  with  Virginia  in  improving 
the  navigation  of  the  Potomac.  He  predicted  the  exertions 
which  would  doubtless  be  made  by  New- York  and  Penn- 
sylvania for  securing  the  monopoly  of  the  western  trade,  and 
the  ditficully  which  would  be  found  by  Virginia  in  diverting 
it  from  the  channel  it  iiad  once  taken.  "  1  am  not  for  dis- 
couraging the  exertions  of  any  state  to  draw  the  commerce 
of  the  western  country  to  its  seaports,"  said  the  illustrious 
patriot.  '■'•  The  more  communications  we  open  to  it,  the 
closer  we  bind  that  rising  world  (for  indeed  it  may  be 
so  called)  to  our  interests,  and  the  greater  strength  shall 
we  acquire  by  it.  Those  to  whom  nature  aflfords  the  best 
communications  will,  if  they  are  wise,  enjoy  the  greatest 
share  of  the  trade.  All  I  would  be  understood  to  mean, 
therefore,  is,  that  the  gifts  of  Providence  may  not  be  neglect- 
ed." After  enforcing  the  political  necessity  for  improving  the 
intercourse  between  the  west  and  east,  so  as  to  prevent  the 
flow  of  trade  from  the  western  states  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Mississippi,  then  held  by  the  Spaniards,  or  through  the  St. 
Lawrence,  controlled  at  its  outlet  by  the  British,  he  said,  "If 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.        181 

then  the  trade  of  that  country  should  flow  through  the  Mis- 
sissippi or  the  St.  Lawrence — if  the  inhabitants  thereof 
should  form  commercial  connexions,  which  we  know  lead 
to  intercourses  of  other  kinds,  they  would  in  a  few  years  be 
as  unconnected  with  us  as  are  those  of  South  America.  It 
may  be  asked.  How  are  we  to  prevent  this  ?  Happily  for  us, 
the  way  is  plain.  Our  immediate  interests,  as  well  as  re- 
mote political  advantages,  point  to  it ;  while  a  combination 
of  circumstances  render  the  present  time  more  favourable 
than  any  other  to  accomplish  it.  Extend  the  inland  naviga- 
tion of  the  eastern  waters — connect  them  as  near  as  possi- 
ble with  those  which  run  westward — open  these  to  the  Ohio 
— open  also  such  as  extend  from  the  Ohio  towards  Lake 
Erie,  and  we  shall  not  only  draw  the  produce  of  the  west- 
ern settlers,  but  the  peltry  and  fur-trade  of  the  lakes  also, 
to  our  ports — thus  adding  an  immense  increase  to  our  ex- 
ports, and  binding  those  people  to  us  by  a  chain  which  can 
never  be  broken." 

Virginia  and  Maryland  concurred  in  chartering  a  canal 
company,  of  which  Washington  accepted  the  presidency,  the 
design  of  which  was  not  only  to  open  a  free  navigation  of 
the  Potomac,  but  eventually  to  remove  obstructions  in  such 
branches  of  the  Ohio  as  point  towards  Lake  Erie — so  as  not 
only  to  give  a  direction  to  the  fur-trade  from  Detroit  to  Alex- 
andria, but  also  to  attract  the  produce  ef  those  vast  interve- 
ning countries  which  lay  then  in  a  state  of  nature.  "  To  de- 
monstrate the  practicability  of  this,  and  the  policy  of  preserv- 
ing a  commercial  intercourse  with  those  extended  regions, 
especially  should  the  Mississippi  be  opened  [it  was  at  that 
time  closed  by  the  Spaniards  against  the  Americans],  was  his 
constant  and  favourite  theme,"  says  Elkanah  Watson,  under 
date  of  1785.  "  To  establish  also  the  probability  that  the  fur- 
trade  from  Detroit  will  take  this  direction.  General  Washington 
produced  to  me  the  following  estimate,  which  I  copied  from 
his  manuscript  in  his  presence,  and  with  his  aid,  viz.,  '  From 
Detroit  at  the  head  of  Lake  Erie,  via  Fort  Pitt  (now  Pitts- 
burgh), and  Fort  Cumberland  at  the  head  of  the  Potomac,  is 
607  miles — to  Richmond,  840  miles — to  Philadelphia,  741 
miles — to  Albany,  943 — to  Montreal,  955  miles,'  Thus  it 
appears  that  Alexandria  is  348  miles  nearer  Detroit  than 
Montreal,  with  only  two  carrying-places  of  about  40  miles." 

Almost  contemporaneously  with  the  personal  inspection 
of  some  of  our  watercourses  by  General  Washington,  the 
16 


182  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

question  of  internal  improvement  was  presented  to  the  Legis- 
lature of  this  state  by  an  individual  to  whose  exertions  in 
the  great  cause  vohintary  testimony  was  borne  by  De  Witt 
Clinton  and  Cadwallader  D.  Golden — by  the  former  in  the 
essays  published  under  the  signature  of"  Tacitus,"  and  by 
the  latter  in  his  memoir  prepared  for  the  great  Canal  Cele- 
bration. Governor  Clinton,  in  the  essays  just  mentioned, 
declared  that  "  Mr.  Christopher  Colles,  a  native  of  Ireland, 
who  settled  in  New- York,  and  who  had  before  the  revolu- 
tionary war  proposed  a  plan  for  supplying  that  city  with 
good  water  ['  and  who  had  in  1772  given  public  lectures 
in  Philadelphia  on  the  subject  of  lock  navigation,'  says 
Colden],  was  the  first  person  who  suggested  to  the  govern- 
ment of  the  state  the  canals  and  improvements  on  the  On- 
tario route.  Colles  was  a  man  of  good  character,  an  inge- 
nious mechanician,  and  well  skilled  in  the  mathematics.  Un- 
fortunately for  him,  and  perhaps  for  the  public,  he  was  gen- 
erally considered  a  visionary  projector,  and  his  plans  were 
sometimes  treated  with  ridicule,  and  frequently  viewed  with 
distrust. 

"  In  the  session  of  the  Legislature  of  1784,"  continues 
Governor  Clinton, "  Mr.  Adgate,  from  the  committee  to  whom 
was  referred  the  memorial  of  Christopher  Colles,  proposing 
some  interesting  improvements  in  inland  navigation,  reported, 
'  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  committee  that  the  laudable 
proposals  of  Mr.  Colles  for  removing  the  obstructions  in  the 
Mohawk  River,  so  that  boats  of  burden  may  pass  the  same, 
merit  the  encouragement  of  the  public  ;  but  that  it  would  be 
inexpedient  for  the  Legislature  to  cause  that  business  to  be 
undertaken  at  the  public  expense  :  That  as  the  performing 
such  a  work  will  be  very  expensive,  it  is  therefore  the  opinion 
of  the  committee,  that  if  Mr.  Colles,  with  a  number  of  ad- 
venturers (as  by  him  proposed),  should  undertake  it,  they 
ought  to  be  encouraged  by  a  law  giving  and  securing  unto 
them,  their  heirs,  and  assigns  for  ever,  the  profits  that  may 
arise  from  transportation,  under  such  restrictions  and  regu- 
lations as  shall  appear  to  the  Legislature  necessary  for  that 
purpose  ;  and  authorizing  them  to  execute  that  work  through 
any  lands  or  improvements,  on  payment  of  the  damages  to 
the  proprietors,  as  the  same  shall  be  assessed  by  a  jury ;'  " 
and  it  appears  that  this  report  was  sanctioned  by  the  house. 

'•  At  the  next  meeting  of  the  Legislature,  Mr.  Colles  again 
presented  a  memorial;  and  on  the  5th  of  April,  1785,  a  fa- 


PROGRESS    OF   IMPROVEMENT.  183 

vourable  report  was  made  by  the  committee  to  whom  it  was 
referred  ;  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  was  ap- 
propriated in  the  supply  bill  '  for  the  purpose  of  enabling 
him  to  make  an  essay  towards  removing  certain  obstructions 
in  the  Mohawk  River,  and  to  exhibit  a  plan  thereof  to  the 
Legislature  at  their  next  meeting.' 

"  In  pursuance  of  this  arrangement,  Mr.  CoIIes  visited 
the  country  to  be  affected  by  the  intended  improvements, 
and  took  an  actual  survey  of  the  principal  obstructions  upon 
the  Mohawk  River  as  far  as  Wood  Creek.  The  results  of 
this  journey  of  observation  and  survey  were  published  by 
him  in  a  pamphlet  entitled  '  Proposals  for  the  Speedy  Settle- 
ment of  the  Waste  and  Unappropriated  Lands  on  the  Western 
Frontier  of  the  State  of  New- York,  and  for  the  Improvement 
of  the  Inland  Navigation  between  Albany  and  Oswego. 
Printed  at  New- York  by  Samuel  Loudon,  1785.'  " 

In  this  pamphlet  Mr.  Colles  enters  into  certain  calcula- 
tions illustrative  of  his  proposed  design.  He  observes  : 
"  From  the  foregoing  views,  the  importance  of  the  proposed 
design  will  appear  sufHcienlly  evident.  By  this  tlie  internal 
trade  will  be  increased  ;  by  this  also  the  foreign  trade  will 
be  promoted ;  by  this  the  country  will  be  settled ;  by  this 
the  frontiers  will  be  secured  ;  by  this  a  variety  of  articles, 
as  masts,  yards,  and  ship-timber,  may  be  brought  to  New- 
York,  which  will  not  bear  tlie  expense  of  land-carriage,  and 
which,  notwithstanding,  will  be  a  considerable  remittance  to 
Europe,  By  this,  in  time  of  war,  provisions  and  military 
stores  may  be  moved  with  facility  in  sufficient  quantities  to 
answer  any  emergency  ;  and  by  this,  in  time  of  peace,  all 
the  necessaries,  conveniences,  and,  if  we  please,  the  luxuries 
of  life,  may  be  distributed  to  the  remotest  parts  of  the  great 
lakes,  which  so  beautifully  diversify  the  face  of  this  extensive 
continent,  and  to  the  smallest  branches  of  the  numerous  riv- 
ers which  shoot  from  these  lakes  upon  every  point  of  the 
compass. 

" '  Providence  indeed  appears  to  favour  this  design ;  for 
the  Allegany  Mountains,  which  pass  through  all  the  states, 
seem  to  die  away  as  they  approach  the  Mohaivk  River  ;  and 
the  ground  between  the  upper  part  of  this  river  and  Wood 
Creek  is  perfectly  level,  as  if  designedly  to  permit  us  to 
pass  through  this  channel  into  this  extensive  inland  country. 

"'The  amazing  extent  of  the  five  great  lakes  to  which  the 
proposed  navigation  will  communicate,  will  be  found  to  have 


184  SKETCHES   OP   ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

five  times  as  much  coast  as  all  England  ;  and  the  country  wa- 
tered by  the  numerous  rivers  which  fall  into  these  lakes,  full 
seven  or  eight  times  as  great  as  that  valuable  island.  If  the  fer- 
tility of  the  soil  be  the  object  of  our  attention,  we  will  find  it  at 
an  average  equal  to  Britain.  Of  late  years,  the  policy  of  that 
island  has  been  to  promote  inland  navigation  ;  and  the  advan- 
tages, gained  both  by  the  public  and  individuals,  have  been  at- 
tended with  such  happy  consequences,  that  it  is  intersected  in 
all  manner  of  directions  by  tliese  valuable  water-ways,  by 
which  the  inhabitants  receive  reciprocally  the  comforts  of 
the  respective  productions,  whether  flowing  from  the  bounty 
of  Providence  or  the  effects  of  industry  ;  and,  by  an  exchange 
of  commodities,  render  partial  and  particular  improvements 
the  source  of  universal  abundance.' "  At  the  next  session 
Mr.  Colles  renewed  his  application  ;  and  on  the  8ih  of  March, 
1786,  a  committee  reported  favourably  on  a  "  memorial  of 
Christopher  Colles  and  his  associates,"  and  leave  was  given 
to  bring  in  a  bill  to  compensate  them  for  the  purposes  spe- 
cified in  the  memorial.  It  does  not  appear  that  any  further 
steps  were  taken  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Colles.  His  operations 
probably  failed  for  the  want  of  subscribers  to  the  contempla- 
ted association.  It  is  not  a  little  remarkable,"  says  Tacitus, 
in  conclusion,  "  that  this  project  commenced  so  soon  after 
the  termination  of  the  revolutionary  war,  and  that  contem- 
poraneous efforts  were  made  in  some  of  the  Southern  States." 

Col.  Robert  Troup,  who  was  an  assemblyman  in  1786, 
remarks,  "  That  on  reviewing  the  journals  of  the  assembly, 
he  finds  that,  on  the  1st  of  February,  1786,  '  a  petition  from 
Christopher  Colles,  with  a  report  of  tlie  practicability  of 
rendering  the  Mohawk  River  navigable,  was  referred  to 
Jeffrey  Smith  and  others  ;'  and  adds,  that  it  is  therefore  very 
possible  that  Mr.  Colles  may  have  furnished  Mr.  Smith  with 
the  idea  of  '  extending  the  navigation  to  Lake  Erie.'  " 

"Notwithstanding  what  has  been  said  of  the  suggestions 
made  by  General  Schuyler  in  1797,  and  by  Gouverneur  Mor- 
ris in  1800,  relative  to  the  extension  of  the  navigation  to 
Lake  Erie,"  observes  Dr.  Hosack,  "the  journals  of  the 
Legislature,  as  early  as  1786,  show  that  Mr.  Jeffrey  Smith, 
and,  probably,  Christopher  Colles,  must  have  preceded  them 
in  this  view  of  the  measure." 

In  the  Canal  memoir,  Coklen  remarks,  that  "  the  difficul- 
ties which  Mr.  Colles  met  with  seem  to  have  subdued  his 
enterprise.     Though  his  plan  for  connecting  the  northern 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.  185 

and  southern,  and  eastern  and  western  waters  was  revived 
in  1791,  it  does  not  appear  that  Mr.  Colles  had  any  connex- 
ion with  it."  He  was  "  the  projector  and  attendant  of  the 
telegraph  erected  during  the  last  war  on  Castle  Clinton,"  in 
the  harbour  of  New- York.  "  Genius  and  talents,  much  above 
the  sphere  in  which  he  seems  to  have  moved  in  the  latter 
part  of  his  life,  could  not  rescue  him  from  obscurity  and 
poverty ;  but  it  would  be  ungrateful  to  forget  him  at  this 
time,"  says  Mr.  Colden,  with  reference  to  the  great  Canal 
Celebration  at  New- York  commemorative  of  the  union  of  the 
Atlantic  with  the  Lakes.  "  No  one  can  say  how  far  we  owe 
this  occasion  to  the  ability  with  which  he  developed  the 
great  advantages  that  would  result  from  opening  the  com- 
munications with  the  lakes — to  the  clear  views  he  presented 
of  the  facility  with  which  these  communications  might  be 
made — and  to  the  activity  with  which  he  for  some  time  pur- 
sued this  object  His  contemporaries  have  not  been  insen- 
sible of  his  merits,  and  have  preserved  a  portrait  of  him,  by 
Jarvis,  in  the  gallery  of  the  New-York  Historical  Society." 
The  testimony  of  Clinton  and  Colden  is  thus  quoted  respecting 
the  projects  and  character  of  one  of  the  earliest  advocates  of 
internal  improvement,  inasmuch  as  efforts*  have  been  made 
to  deprive  him  of  the  credit  due  to  his  early  and  earnest  efforts 
to  arouse  adequate  attention  at  the  time  to  the  cause  of  in- 
ternal improvement. 

The  Legislature  of  1791  had  the  subject  of  improvement 
warmly  pressed  upon  their  attention  by  Governor  George 
Clinton,  "  Our  frontier  settlements,  freed  from  apprehen- 
sions of  danger,"  said  the  governor,  "  are  rapidly  increas- 
ing, and  must  soon  yield  extensive  resources  for  profitable 
commerce.  This  consideration  forcibly  recommends  the 
policy  of  continuing  to  facilitate  the  means  of  communication 
with  them,  as  well  to  strengthen  the  bonds  of  society,  as  to 
prevent  the  produce  of  those  fertile  districts  from  being  di- 
verted to  other  markets." 

The  recommendations  of  the  governor  were  answered 
by  the  passage  of  a  law  "  concerning  roads  and  inland  navi- 

*  In  a  book  published  to  prove  that  Mr.  Elkanah  Watson  originated 
the  canal  system,  Mr.  Golles  is  spoken  of  as  "  a  man  who  arrived  from 
Ireland  in  New- York  prior  to  our  Revolutionary  War" — "a  visionary 
projector" — who  "  was  never  in  the  western  country" — "  an  obscure 
man  of  no  consideration" — "  wholly  incompetent  to  conceive  such  a 
project,"  &c. 

16* 


186         SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

gation,"  which  authorized  surveys  of  the  lands  between  the 
Mohawk  River  and  Wood  Creek,  in  what  was  then  Herki- 
mer county,  and  between  Hudson  River  and  Wood  Creek,  in 
Washington  county.  The  routes  were  promptly  surveyed 
by  direction  of  the  commissioners  of  the  land-office,  and  at 
the  next  session  charters  were  granted  to  the  Western  In- 
land Lock  Navigation  Company  and  tlie  Northen  Inland 
Lock  Navigation  Company. 

General  Schuyler  was  chosen  president  of  the  Western 
Company,  which  consisted  of  about  fifty  influential  citizens, 
among  whom  Elkanah  Watson,  Tlios.  Eddy,  Jeremiah  Van 
Rensselaer,  Robert  Bowne,  and  Barent  Bleecker,  were  dis- 
tinguished for  their  zeal  in  co-operating  with  their  indefati- 
gable president.  This  company  aimed  to  improve  the  natu- 
ral water-courses,  and  to  open  communications  by  canals  to 
the  Seneca  Lake  and  Lake  Ontario  ;  and  fifteen  years  were 
allowed  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  work,  though  the 
requisite  canalling  extended  but  a  few  miles — so  great  was 
the  task  considered  !  The  improvement  undertaken  by  this 
company  was,  however,  almost  completed  in  1796-7,  four 
or  five  years  after  the  law  was  passed.  The  canal  at  Lit- 
tle Falls  extended  nearly  three  miles,  with  five  locks  ;  that 
at  the  German  Flats  one  mile  and  a  quarter;  and  the  canal 
from  the  Mohawk  to  Wood  Creek  one  mile  and  three  quar- 
ters— making  an  aggregate  of  about  six  miles  of  canalling. 
Such  works,  important  as  they  were  then  thought,  could  now 
be  accomplished  in  a  single  month,  as  indicated  by  the  speed 
with  which  the  Erie  Canal  and  other  similar  undertakings 
have  since  been  executed.  After  their  principal  works  had 
been  constructed  and  once  rebuilt,  it  was  found  they  must  be 
again  reconstructed ;  and  the  company  employed  Mr.  Weston, 
an  eminent  engineer  from  England,  to  superintend  the  enter- 
prise. But  when  the  improvements  were  so  far  completed 
as  to  permit  the  passage  of  boats  between  Schenectady 
and  Oneida  Lake,  the  amount  of  the  expenditures  (upward  of 
$400,000)  caused  such  heavy  charges  for  toll  that  "the 
canals  were  but  little  used — land-carriage  and  the  natural 
rivers  being  generally  preferred."  The  old  locks  at  Little 
Falls,  the  ruins  of  which  are  yet  visible,  served  for  a  while 
to  form  a  connexion  between  the  Erie  Canal  and  the  Mohawk 
River. 

The  Northern  Inland  Lock  Navigation  Company  made 
some  improvement  in  the  watercourses  on  the  route  between 
the  Hudson  and  Champlain,  but  was  dissolved  without  hav- 


PROGRESS    OF    IMPROVEMENT.  187 

ing  made  any  canal,  or  fulfilled  the  expectations  which  caused 
the  incorporation. 

Some  of  the  prominent  advocates  of  Internal  Improve- 
ments about  this-  period  should  be  noticed  in  connexion  with 
the  above-mentioned  undertakings.  "Gen.  Schuyler  de- 
serves to  be  first  mentioned,"  says  Golden.  "  Distinguished 
by  the  force  and  energy  of  his  character — for  his  abilities, 
acquirements,  and  enterprise — he  was  one  of  the  earliest, 
most  strenuous,  and  most  able  supporters  of  improvements  in 
our  internal  navigation.  It  has  been  justly  said  that  he  was 
the  master-spirit  which  infused  life  and  vigour  into  the  whole 
undertaking.  Mr.  Elkanah  Watson  had,  as  early  as  1788, 
attended  an  Indian  treaty  at  Fort  Stanwix.  The  view  which 
he  at  that  time  obtained  of  the  country  impressed  him  with 
the  practicability  and  advantages  of  the  water-communica- 
tions which  Mr.  Colles  had  several  years  previously  ex- 
plored and  described  in  his  publication  above  noticed.  Of 
Mr.  Golles's  proceedings,  Mr.  Watson  appears  to  have  had 
no  knowledge.  Mr.  Watson  transcribed  the  ideas  he  enter- 
tained on  this  subject  in  a  journal  he  kept  at  the  time — ex- 
tracts from  which  he  published  in  1820,  in  a  work  entitled 
'A  History  of  the  Rise,  Progress,  and  Existing  Gondiiion  of 
the  Western  Ganals.'  This  publication  is  avowedly  made 
by  Mr.  Watson  with  a  view  to  vindicate  his  claims  '  to  the 
exclusive  honour  of  projecting  the  canal  policy'  of  the  State 
of  New-York.  In  the  same  year  that  the  act  of  the  2 1st  of 
March,  1791,  was  passed  for  surveying  the  contemplated 
routes,  Mr.  Watson  made  a  journey  in  the  western  part  of 
the  state.  All  his  views  of  the  water-communications 
(which  had  been  previously  proposed  by  Mr.  Golles)  were 
confirmed  and  strengthened,  and  he  employed  his  pen  in 
writing  and  publishing  essays,  which,  no  doubt,  had  an  im- 
portant influence  on  public  opinion  in  favour  of  the  canals. 
He  also  published,  in  the  work  last  referred  to,  his  journal  of 
this  toui-.  These  private  journals  of  Mr.  Watson,  by  some 
means  unknown  to  him,  as  he  states  in  the  preliminary  re- 
marks to  his  History  of  the  Ganals,  were  obtained  by  the 
London  booksellers,  and  published  by  them  previously  to 
1795 — and  were,  to  the  astonishment  of  Mr.  Watson,  refer- 
red to  by  Mr.  Philips  in  his  History  of  Canals,  the  first  edi- 
tion of  which  was  published  about  1796." 

The  scheme  of  improvement  between  the  Hudson  and 
Lake  Ontario  was  succeeded  by  a  project  to  connect  that 
lake  with  Erie  by  a  canal  around  the  Falls  of  Niagara.     For 


188  8KETCIIES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

this  purpose  the  "Niagara  Company"  was  chartered  in 
1798,  and  some  movemenis  were  made  (though  nothing  ef- 
fectual was  accomphslied)  towards  the  execution  of  the  plan 
— among  the  most  sanguine  supporters  of  which  was  Capt. 
Williamson,  who  was  agent  of  the  Pulteney  Estate,  and  one 
of  the  most  enterprising  pioneers  of  Western  New-York. 

"  This  project,  in  preference  to  that  [the  great  Erie  Ca- 
nal] which  has  been  executed,"  said  Mr.  Colden  in  1826, 
"  has  had  its  advocates  till  a  very  late  day.  It  is  impossible 
to  say,  when  we  are  looking  for  the  dawnings  of  the  idea  of 
an  artificial  water-communication  between  Lake  Erie  and 
the  Hudson,  whether  those  who  first  anticipated  such  a  con- 
nexion, and  have  mentioned  it  in  their  writings,  did  not  con- 
template this  as  the  route  by  which  the  communication 
would  be  effected,  rather  than  that  it  would  be  made  on  the 
line  occupied  by  the  canafwhich  now  exists."  The  language 
as  well  as  the  date  shows  that  this  was  written  before  the 
construction  of  the  Oswego  Canal.  "  But  this  act  of  1798, 
and  the  project  of  locking  around  the  Great  Falls,  to  which 
it  was  intended  to  give  effect,  seem  very  convincing  proof 
that  up  to  tills  time  no  person  had  thought  of  an  inland  lock 
navigation  directly  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Hudson.  Indeed, 
I  may  say  that,  up  to  the  time  when  this  act  was  passed,  I 
have  not  found,  in  anything  written  upon  the  sul)ject,  a  sin- 
gle syllable  intimating  that  the  idea  of  such  a  canal  had 
been  conceived  by  any  human  being.  It  unquestionably  had 
not  entered  into  the  minds  of  either  of  the  companies  incor- 
porated in  1792.  The  views  of  the  Western  Inland  Lock 
Navigation  Company  certainly  extended  no  farther  than  to 
improve  the  natural  watercourses  between  the  mouth  of  the 
Oswego  River  and  the  Mohawk,  and  to  connect  them  by  the 
short  cuts  which  were  necessary  for  that  purpose."  To  use 
Mr.  Watson's  own  expressions,  who  was  one  of  the  Western 
Company,  "  The  utmost  stretch  of  their  views  was  to  follow 
the  track  of  nature's  canal,  and  to  remove  natural  or  artifi- 
cial obstructions ;  but  they  never  entertained  the  most  dis- 
tant conception  of  a  canal  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Hudson. 
They  would  not  have  considered  it"  (continues  Mr.  Watson) 
"  much  more  extravagant  to  have  suggested  the  possibility  of 
a  canal  to  the  moon."  "  The  efforts  of  this  company  on  the 
Mohawk  had  proved  so  expensive  and  so  little  encouraging, 
that  they  shrunk  from  an  attempt  to  complete  their  original 
design  by  extending  their  work  to  Lake  Ontario.  In  1S08 
they  surrendered  so  much  of  their  grant  as  gave  them  any 


PROGRESS    OF    IMPROVEMENT.  189 

privileges  beyond  Oneida  Lake  ;  and  subsequently,  when 
the  Legislature  had  determined  on  executing  the  northern 
and  western  canals,  they  ceded  to  the  state,  for  a  sum  much 
less  than  they  had  expended,  all  their  privileges  and  works. 
But,  although  those  who  were  connected  with  these  naviga- 
tion companies,  and  who  encouraged  and  promoted  the  ob- 
jects of  these  associations,  cannot  justly  claim,  indeed  never 
have  claimed,  the  merit  of  projecting  the  great  canals,  we 
should  do  them  great  injustice  did  we  not  acknowledge  that 
Ave  owe  a  great  deal  to  their  genius  and  enterprise.  Their 
ill  success,  it  is  true,  for  some  time  damped  the  spirit  of  im- 
provement ;  yet  their  efforts  roused  the  public  attention,  and 
induced  inquiries  and  investigations  which  have  led  to  the 
great  works,"  &c. 

Gouverneur  Morris  was  among  the  earliest  of  those 
■whose  minds  grasped,  with  zealous  energy,  the  magnificent 
subject  of  internal  improvements.  The  extraordinary  adap- 
tation of  the  country  for  canalling  between  the  Hudson  and 
the  western  lakes,  with  the  political  as  well  as  commer- 
cial advantages  to  be  derived  from  extensive  inland  water- 
communication,  were  early  and  enthusiastically  proclaimed 
by  that  gifted  man.  While  on  a  tour  to  Niagara  Falls  in 
1800,  his  language  to  a  European  correspondent  indicated 
that  he  comprehended  well  the  vast  navigable  capacities  of 
the  country,  even  though  he  had  then  no  conception  of  a 
communication  like  the  Erie  Canal.  "  Hundreds  of  large 
ships  will,  in  no  distant  period,  bound  on  the  billows  of  these 
inland  seas,"  was  the  language  of  Mr.  Morris  to  his  foreign 
correspondent.  "  Shall  I  lead  your  astonishment  up  to  the 
verge  of  incredulity  ?  I  will.  Know,  then,  that  one  tenth  part 
of  the  expense  borne  by  Britain  in  the  last  campaign  would 
enable  ships  to  sail  from  London  through  the  Hudson  River 
into  Lake  Erie.  As  yet,  we  only  crawl  along  the  outer 
shell  of  our  country.  The  interior  excels  the  part  we  in- 
habit in  soil,  in  climate,  in  everything.  The  proudest  em- 
pire of  Europe  is  but  a  bawble  compared  to  what  America 
may  be — must  be."  In  the  following  year,  through  a  letter 
to  Mr.  Lee,  Mr.  Morris  mentioned  Lake  Ontario  as  the 
point  to  which  he  thought  it  was  practicable  to  open  a  canal. 
In  1803,  while  conversing  with  Simeon  De  Witt,  the  late 
surveyor-general  of  the  state,  Mr.  Morris  noticed  the  possi- 
bility of  "  tapping  Lake  Erie."  "  But  yet  it  is  very  uncer- 
tain," says  Mr.  Golden,  "  whether  Mr.  M.'s  idea  was  at 
these  times  that  a  canal  might  be  made  directly  from  the 


190  SKETCHES   OF   ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

Hudson  to  that  lake.  He  might  have  conceived  that  a  ship 
from  London  would  sail  into  Ontario  by  the  canal  vvhicli  had 
then  been  so  long  thought  of;  and  from  thence  into  Erie  by 
the  locks  around  the  Niagara  Falls,  which  were  contem- 
plated by  the  act  of  1798 — and  he  might  have  conceived  the 
possibility  of  tapping  Lake  Erie,  by  leading  its  waters  in  the 
same  course." 

It  would  seem  apparent  enough,  from  his  emphatic  lan- 
guage, that  such  were  his  ideas — that  he  contemplated  the 
passage  to  Lake  Erie  by  what  is  termed  the  Ontario  route 
— as  it  cannot  readily  be  imagined  that  he  faniced  "  ships 
would  sail  from  London  to  Lake  Erie"  through  the  "  over- 
land route"  between  the  Mohawk  and  that  freshwater  sea. 

"But  subsequently,  and  particularly  at  about  the  time  the 
project  of  making  a  canal  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Hudson 
first  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Legislature,  Mr,  Morris 
became  one  of  its  most  active  and  able  advocates."  He  re- 
fused to  sign  a  report  from  the  canal  board  (of  which  he  was 
a  member)  in  1816,  "  because,  it  has  been  said,  he  was  dis- 
satisfied that  his  idea  of  an  inclined  plane  was  in  a  great 
measure  abandoned." — (Golden.)  "  His  plan  of  an  inclined 
plane,  on  the  whole  extent  of  about  600  feet  rise  and  fall," 
says  Elkanah  Watson,  after  eulogizing  Mr.  Morris's  exer- 
tions in  favour  of  internal  improvement,  "  was  indeed  truly 
visionary  in  a  view  of  permanency,  and  absolutely  impracti- 
cable for  vessels  carrying  100  tons  burden." 

But  whatever  pictures  fancy  may  have  formed  of  a  com- 
munication like  the  present  canal  between  the  Hudson  and 
Lake  Erie,  no  calculations  were  placed  publicly  in  a  tangi- 
ble shape  till  the  year  1807.  The  essays  of  Jesse  Haw- 
ley,  which  appeared  under  the  signature  of  Hercules  in  a 
Pittsburgh  paper,  and  in  the  Genesee  Messenger,  at  Gan- 
andaigua,  during  the  years  1807-8,  presented  this  great 
question  in  an  aspect  calculated  to  command  attention. 
Facts  were  furnished  to  show  how  wonderfully  the  pecu- 
liarities of  the  country  favoured  the  scheme  of  an  overland 
route  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Mohawk,  near  Rome  or  Uiica 
— whence  the  river  navigation  might  be  improved  as  the 
connecting  link  with  the  Hudson.  The  route  mentioned  by 
Mr.  Hawley  commenced  at  Buffalo,  and  pursued  nearly  the 
track  which  was  subsequently  adopted — the  "  northern 
route"  (as  it  was  termed)  as  far  eastward  as  the  Genesee,  in 
preference  to  the  southern  one  from  Erie  to  that  river 
through  the  Tonawanta  Valley,  which  latter  route  was  pre- 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.  191 

ferred  by  Mr.  EUicott,  and  was  not  abandoned  in  favour  of 
the  northern  route  till  1820.  The  whole  length  of  the  pro- 
posed canal,  from  the  lake  to  the  Mohawk,  was  about  200 
miles,  and  the  estimated  cost  was  five  millions.  This  was 
for  a  trunk  100  feet  wide  and  10  feet  deep.  The  propor- 
tions were  much  diminished  in  the  construction  of  the  canal, 
as  the  width  adopted  was  forty  feet,  and  the  depth  four 
feet.  Although  Mr.  Hawley's  plan  of  an  inclined  plane  was 
chimerical  (being  that  for  the  advocacy  of  which  Gouverneur 
Morris  has  been  ridiculed,  and  which  Thos.  Eddy  declared 
to  have  for  a  while  impeded  the  policy  of  internal  improve- 
ment), the  dimensions  which  he  proposed  were  most  conso- 
nant with  the  immensity  of  the  object,  as  is  manifest  now 
from  the  necessity  of  enlarging  the  canal. 

"  It  appears  as  if  the  Author  of  Nature,  in  forming  Lake 
Erie,  with  its  large  head  of  water,  into  a  reservoir,  and  the 
limestone  ridge  into  an  inclined  plane,"  said  Mr.  Hawley, 
"  had  in  prospect  a  large  canal  to  connect  the  Atlantic  and 
continental  seas,  to  be  completed  at  some  period  by  the  in- 
genuity and  industry  of  man."  With  reference  to  the  recom- 
mendations of  President  Jefferson  (in  a  message  in  1807) 
concerning  roads  and  canals,  Mr.  Hawley  continued — "  Next 
to  the  utility  of  a  national  institute  is  the  improvement  of 
the  navigation  of  our  fresh  waters,  and  connecting  the  waters 
of  Lake  Erie  and  those  of  the  Mohawk  and  Hudson  by 
means  of  a  canal.  As  this  project  is  probably  not  more  than 
twelve  months  old  in  human  conception,  none  but  imperfect 
data  can  be  furnished  at  present.  The  navigation  of  the  four 
largest  lakes  in  the  world,  with  all  their  tributary  streams, 
and  the  products  of  all  the  surrounding  country,  would  pass 
through  this  canal ;  and  even  the  fifth  (Ontario)  would  be- 
come its  tributary — and  in  twenty  years  the  principal  and 
interest  of  the  expenditure  would  be  redeemed."  Then, 
glancing  at  the  inevitable  results  of  such  a  system  success- 
fully prosecuted,  Mr.  H.  remarked  that  "  The  City  of  New- 
York  would  be  left  without  a  competitor  in  trade,  except  by 
that  of  New-Orleans  ;  and  within  a  century  its  island  would 
be  covered  with  buildings — Albany  would  be  necessitated  to 
cut  down  her  hills  and  fill  her  valleys  to  give  spread  to  her 
population — the  harbour  of  Buffalo  would  exchange  her  for- 
est for  a  thicket  of  marine  spars — and  Utica,  if  made  the 
point  of  junction  [of  the  proposed  canal  and  the  Mohawk 
River],  would  become  a  distinguished  inland  town."  Ro- 
chester was  not  then  in  existence.  ,<  ■         -         -> 


192        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

Congress  referred  the  subject  of  internal  improvements 
(mentioned  in  tlie  President's  INIessage)  to  Albert  Gallatin, 
then  secretary  of  the  treasury — and  in  March,  1808,  a 
report  was  received  by  that  body  from  Mr.  G.,  which, 
though  referring  to  many  routes  susceptible  of  improvement, 
made  no  reference  to  a  canal  from  Erie  towards  the  Hudson 
among  tliose  projects  which  he  considered  as  deserving  the 
patronage  of  the  national  government,  under  the  suggestion 
for  "  appropriating  all  the  surplus  revenue  of  the  United 
States  to  constructing  free  canals  and  turnpike-roads." 

But  the  suggestions  of  President  Jefl'erson  respecting  in- 
ternal improvements  fell  not  unheeded  on  the  New-York 
Legislature.  On  the  4ih  of  February,  1808,  Joshua  For- 
man,  of  Onondaga,  instigated,  as  he  says,  not  by  the  sugges- 
tions of  either  Gouverneur  Morris  or  Jesse  Hawley,  but  solely 
by  the  article  on  canals  in  Rees's  Cyclopedia,  and  by  the  rec- 
ommendations of  Mr.  Jefi'crson  on  the  general  policy  of  in- 
creasing the  facilities  of  communication,  presented  to  the  As- 
sembly, of  which  he  was  a  member,  the  following  preamble 
and  resolution  : — 

"  Whereas  the  President  of  the  United  States,  by  his 
message  to  Congress  delivered  at  their  meeting  in  October 
last,  did  recommend  that  the  surplus  money  in  the  Treasury, 
over  and  above  such  sums  as  could  be  applied  to  the  extin- 
guishment of  the  national  debt,  be  appropriated  to  the  great 
national  objects  of  opening  canals  and  making  turnpike- 
roads  :  And  whereas  the  Stale  of  New-York,  holding  the 
first  commercial  rank  in  the  United  States,  possesses  within 
herself  tlie  best  route  of  communication  between  the  Atlan- 
tic and  western  waters,  by  means  of  a  canal  between  the 
tidcii'atcrs  of  the  Hudson  River  and  Lake  Erie,  through 
which  the  wealth  and  trade  of  that  large  portion  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  bordering  on  the  upper  lakes  would  for  ever  flow 
to  our  great  commercial  emporium  :  And  whereas  the  le- 
gislatures of  several  of  our  sister  states  have  made  great 
exertions  to  secure  to  their  own  states  the  trade  of  that 
widely-extended  country  west  of  the  Alleganies,  under  nat- 
ural advantages  vastly  inferior  to  those  of  this  state  :  And 
whereas  it  is  highly  important  that  those  advantages  should, 
as  speedily  as  possible,  be  improved,  both  to  preserve  and 
increase  the  commercial  and  national  importance  of  this 
state  : — Resolved  (if  the  honourable  the  Senate  concur 
herein),  that  a  joint  committee  be  appointed  to  take  into 
consideration  the  propriety  of  exploring  and  causing  an  ac- 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.         198 

curate  survey  to  be  made  of  the  most  eligible  and  direct 
route  for  a  canal  to  open  a  communication  between  the  tide- 
waters of  the  Hudson  River  and  Lake  Frie,  to  the  end  that 
Congress  may  be  enabled  to  appropriate  such  sums  as  may 
be  necessary  to  the  accomplishment  of  that  great  national 
object.''''* 

This  was  the  first  legislative  movement  with  reference  to 
a  communication  like  the  present  canal  between  the  Hudson 
and  Lake  Erie. 

The  Senate  concurred  with  the  Assembly  in  appointing 
the  joint  committee  proposed  by  Mr.  Forman  ;  and  the  sur- 
veyor-general was  directed,  by  a  subsequent  resolution  which 
that  committee  introduced,  to  cause  some  surveys  to  be 
made.  But,  from  the  phraseology  of  this  last  resolution 
respecting  the  route  or  routes  to  be  surveyed ;  from  the 
scanty  (we  had  almost  said  contemptible)  pittance  voted  to 
defray  expenses  of  the  survey  ;  and  from  the  instructions  of 
the  surveyor-general  to  the  engineer  (Geddes)  who  was 
employed  to  make  examinations,  it  does  not  seem  that 
there  was  any  very  serious  expectation  that  the  route  sug- 
gested by  Mr.  Forman's  proposition  would  be  examined  in 
any  manner  suitable  to  its  extent,  or  which  could  form  the 
basis  of  efficient  legislative  action. 

Observe  the  language  of  the  resolution  instructing  the 
surveyor-general,  and  the  instructions  from  that  officer  to  the 
engineer  authorized  to  make  the  examinations — and  how 
illy  fitted  they  were  to  encourage  the  grand  design  for  which 
Hawley,  EUicott,  and  Forman  were  struggling.  The  reso- 
lution directed  the  surveyor-general  "  to  cause  an  accurate 
survey  to  be  made  of  the  rivers,  streams,  and  waters  (not 
already  accurately  surveyed)  in  the  usual  route  of  commu- 
nication between  the  Hudson  River  and  Lake  Erie,  and  such 
other  contemplated  route  as  he  may  deem  proper,  and  cause 

♦  "  The  proposition  was  received  by  the  House  '  with  such  expres- 
sions of  surprise  and  ridicule  as  are  due  to  a  very  wild  or  foolish  pro- 
ject.' It  was  fortunately,  however,  firmly  sustained  by  the  proposer 
and  his  friends  ;  and  finally  sanctioned,  upon  the  ground  '  that  it  could 
do  no  harm,  and  might  do  some  good.'  But  the  joint  committee,  pre- 
possessed in  favour  of  the  Oswego  [or  Ontario]  route,  directed  the 
surveyor-general  to  cause  a  survey  of  the  rivers,  streams,  and  waters 
on  the  usual  route  between  the  Hudson  River  and  Lake  Erie,  and  such 
other  route  as  he  might  deem  proper — shifting  to  the  surveyor-general 
the  responsibility  of  countenancing  a  project  deemed  absurd.  Six  hun- 
dred dollars  only  could  be  procured  for  the  exploration." — Gordon. 
17 


194  SKETCHES    or   ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

the  same  to  be  delineated  on  charts  or  maps  for  that  pur- 
pose, accompanying  the  same  with  the  elevations  of  the 
route  and  such  explanatory  notes  as  may  be  necessary  for 
all  useful  information  in  the  premises." 

Pursuant  to  the  authority  granted  by  this  resolution,  the 
surveyor-general  addressed  James  Geddes  thus  : 

"Sir — I  have  appointed  you  to  make  the  surveys  and  take 
the  levels  requisite  to  carry  into  execution  the  views  ex- 
pressed by  the  concurrent  resolutions  of  the  Senate  and 
Assemby  of  the  2Ist  of  March  last,  in  regard  to  a  commu- 
nication by  canals  between  Lake  Erie  and  Hudf^on's  River. 
As  the  provision  made  for  tlie  expenses  of  this  business  is 
not  ade(iuate  to  the  effectual  exploring  of  the  country  for 
this  purpose,  you  will  in  the  first  place  examine  what  may 
appear  to  be  the  best  place  for  a  canal  from  Oneida  Lake 
to  Lake  Ontario,  in  the  town  of  INIexico,  and  take  a  survey 
and  level  of  it ;  also,  whether  a  canal  cannot  be  made  be- 
tween the  Oneida  Lake  and  Oswego  by  a  route  in  part  to 
the  west  of  the  Oswego  River,  so  as  to  avoid  those  parts 
along  it  where  it  will  be  impracticable  to  make  a  good  navi- 
gation. The  next  object  will  be  the  ground  between  Lake 
Erie  and  Lake  Ontario,  which  must  be  examined  with  a  view 
to  determine  what  will  be  the  most  eligible  track  for  a  canal 
from  below  the  Niagara  Falls  to  Lake  Erie.  If  your  means 
will  admit  of  it,  it  would  be  a  desirable  tiling  to  have  a  level 
taken  throughout  the  whole  distance  between  the  two  lakes. 
As  Mr.  Joseph  Ellicott  has  given  me  a  description  of  the 
country  from  the  Tonnetranta  Creek  to  the  Genesee  River^ 
and  pointed  out  a  route  for  a  canal  through  that  tract,  it  is 
•of  importance  to  have  the  continuation  of  it  explored  to  the 
Seneca  River.  No  levelling  or  survey  of  it  ivill  he  necessary 
for  the  present  It  must  be  left  as  a  work  by  itself,  to  be 
undertaken  hereafle!-,  should  the  government  deem  it  neces- 
sary. A  view  of  the  ground  only,  with  such  information  as 
may  be  obtained  from  others,  is  all  that  can  now  be  required 
of  you. 

"  Simeon-  De  Witt,  Surv.  Gen. 

"June  11,  1808." 

So  that,  after  all,  the  main  point  of  Judge  Forman's  reso- 
lution, "  a  canal  between  the  tide-waters  of  the  Hudson 
River  and  Lake  Erie,"  was  made  every  way  a  secondary- 
matter  in  the  surveys  which  were  directed  in  consequence 
of  the  introduction  of  that  resolution. 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.         195 

The  allusion  of  the  surveyor-general  to  Joseph  Ellicott 
may  excuse  the  introduction  here  of  some  extracts,  which 
show  how  zealously  the  latter  personage  advocated,  at  an 
early  period,  the  practicability  and  expediency  of  the  "  in- 
terior" or  "  overland"  route  between  the  Hudson  and  Lake 
Erie,  as  distinguished  from  the  route  through  Ontario  and 
around  the  Falls  of  Niagara. 

In  addition  to  the  information  derived  from  Mr.  Ellicott 
by  the  surveyor-general,  and  acknowledged  in  the  letter  of 
instructions  to  Mr.  Geddes  under  date  of  the  11th  of  June, 
1808,  Mr.  De  Witt,  on  the  13ih  of  June,  wrote  to  Mr.  E.,  re- 
questing more  "  detailed  information"  "  in  regard  to  the 
practicability  of  cutting  the  contemplated  canal."  From 
among  the  papers  of  Mr.  Ellicott  the  following  has  been 
taken,  as  illustrative  of  the  inquiries  instituted  and  the  lively 
interest  with  which  the  writer  examined  questions  on  which 
few  men  at  the  time  were  so  well  qualified  to  speak: — 

"  S.  De  Witt,  Esq.,  Albany  : 

"  Dear  Sir— I  herewith  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
letter  of  the  13th  of  June,  on  the  subject  of  canals  and  inland 
lock  navigation,  to  connect  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie  and  the 
Hudson  River,  in  which  you  have  requested  me  to  furnish 
you  with  such  information  as  I  may  possess  on  the  subject, 
together  with  my  opinion  of  the  most  eligible  route  for  the 
canal.  This  task  I  shall  perform  with  pleasure  ;  because  I 
consider  it  an  object  of  vast  importance  to  the  United  States, 
which  may  be  effected  with  a  small  expense,  comparatively 
speaking,  when  contrasted  with  the  immense  advantages 
and  utility  that  will  be  derived  to  all  that  tract  of  country 
bordering  on  the  great  lakes.  I  shall  consider  this  subject 
under  the  following  heads  : 

"  First — in  regard  to  the  route  along  the  declivity  that  is 
supposed  to  have  originally  formed  the  great  Falls  of  Niag- 
ara to  Mud  Creek  : 

"  Second — in  regard  to  the  route  down  the  Niagara  to 
Lake  Ontario,  and  from  thence  to  the  Oneida  Lake  :   and, 

"  Thirdly — the  Tonnewanta  Route  [from  Lake  Erie]  to 
Mud  Creek. 

[The  first  and  third  of  these  projected  routes  were  held 
in  consideration  till  the  year  1820,  when  the  canal  commis- 
sioners finally  decided  on  adopting  the  route  nearly  corre- 
sponding with  the  first  mentioned..     The  quantity  of  deep 


196        SKETCHES  OP  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

and  hard  cutting  requisite  on  the  first  route  seemed  an  almost 
insuperable  objection  with  Mr.  Eilicott,  who,  on  the  other 
hand,  expatiated  on  the  feasibility  of  the  Tonnewanta  route. 
His  views  of  the  Tonnewanta  valley  present  some  points 
which  render  them  interesting  in  several  respects,  especially 
as  that  route  has  since  been  adopted  for  a  railroad  from 
Rochester  through  Batavia  to  IJufialo.  An  extract  is  given, 
the  letter  being  too  long  for  insertion  here.] 

"  The  most  practicable  and  useful  path  for  this  canal,  in 
my  opinion,  would  be  the  Tonnewanta  route  to  Mud  Creek. 
The  mouth  of  the  Tonnewanta  affords  a  convenient  harbour 
either  for  the  largest  vessels  that  navigate  all  the  upper 
lakes,  or  for  such  boats  as  would  be  made  use  of  for  navi- 
gating the  canal.  The  tract  of  country  it  would  pass  through 
from  Niagara  River  or  Lake  Erie  to  the  Genesee  River  is 
probably  the  most  level,  even,  and  horizontal  of  any  other 
tract  of  equal  extent  in  the  United  States  ;  and  I  am  per- 
suaded that  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  deviate  much  on 
account  of  either  ridges  or  rocks,  but  that  the  canal  might 
be  actually  extended  nearly  as  straight  as  the  dflinealion 
exhibited  by  the  enclosed  plan.  As,  however,  the  compar- 
ative advantages  of  the  route  I  have  mentioned  may  be 
questioned,  it  may  perhaps  be  necessary  to  give  a  short 
sketch  of  the  nature  and  face  of  the  country  I  have  proposed 
for  this  important  communication.  It  will  be  observed,  on 
inspecting  the  maps  of  the  country  between  the  Niagara  and 
Genesee,  that  in  the  proposed  route  by  the  Tonnewanta  and 
Black  Creek,  it  will  be  necessary  to  direct  the  canal  to  run  in 
the  same  latitudinal  direction;  the  course  of  which  is  owing 
to  the  circumstance  of  these  waters  being  confined  between 
two  terraces  supported  by  horizontal  strata  of  rocks.  The 
first  or  northern  terrace  extends  across  the  Niagara  above 
Lewiston,  forming  the  great  Falls  of  Niagara,  and  continues 
eastwardly,  forming,  also,  the  falls  on  the  Oak  Orchard 
Creek,  the  Genesee  River,  Gerundegut,  and  Oswego,  <fcc. 
The  second  or  southern  terrace  crosses  the  Niagara  River  at 
Black  Rock,  forming  the  rapids  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Erie — 
extends  eastwardly,  forming  falls  on  the  Four  Mile  Creek, 
Allen's  Creek,  Honeoye  Creek,  Ellicolt's  Creek,  Sulphur 
Creek,  Tonnewanta  Creek,  Mud  Creek,  Seneca  Falls  on 
the  outlet  of  Seneca  Lake,  &c.  The  district  of  country  be- 
tween these  terraces  from  Niagara  to  Genesee  River  is  al- 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.  197 

most  one  horizontal  level ;  and  from  the  appearance  of  the 
beds  of  the  different  streams  of  water,  as  far  as  they  pass 
through  this  tract  of  country,  I  am  led  to  believe  it  is  entirely 
free  from  ledges  of  rocks  or  stone — these  watercourses 
being  deep,  without  even  a  stone  to  ruflle  their  current  as 
far  as  they  are  confined  to  the  valley.  The  depth  of  water 
at  the  mouth  of  Tonnewanta  Creek  is  from  26  to  30  feet ; 
whereas  the  Niagara  River  a  little  to  the  north  of  Navy  Is- 
land may  be  fathomed  by  a  ten  or  twelve  foot  pole — the  bot- 
tom of  the  river  being  a  horizontal  strata  of  rocks  extending 
eastward — which  I  believe  to  be  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  lower  or  northern  terrace  of  horizontal  strata  of  rocks. 
It  will  also  be  observed,  that  where  the  Four  Mile  Creek 
empties  into  the  Niagara  River  below  Black  Rock,  the  mouth 
of  the  creek  is  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet  in  depth.  Thence 
I  conclude  that  the  northern  extremity  of  the  upper  or  southern 
terrace  of  horizontal  strata  of  rocks  terminates  near  the 
mouth  of  this  creek,  leaving  a  tract  or  valley  extending  east- 
wardly  to  the  Genesee  River,  between  these  terraces  from 
north  to  south,  of  from  seven  to  ten  and  a  half  miles  in 
breadth,  entirely  free  from  ledges  of  rock  or  stone  ;  and  I  have 
always  been  led  to  believe,  from  the  knowledge  I  possess  of 
this  part  of  the  state,  that  the  same  disposition  of  country 
prevails  from  the  Genesee  to  the  Onondaga  River,  which,  for 
a  considerable  portion  of  that  distance,  is  equally  as  horizon- 
tal and  as  free  from  ledges  of  rock  as  the  tract  of  country 
below  the  southern  terrace  west  of  the  Genesee  River — 
Mud  Creek,  part  of  the  Onondaga  [Oswego]  River,  and  the 
Oneida  Lake,  all  lying  in  the  same  latitudinal  direction,  and 
probably  between  the  same  terraces  or  horizontal  strata  of 
rocks. 

"  The  tract  of  country  extending  from  the  Niagara  to  the 
Genesee  along  the  path  I  have  marked  for  the  canal  may  be 
considered  a  valley  for  the  whole  distance,  the  country 
gradually  rising  to  the  southward,  and  also  to  the  northward, 
until  we  arrive  at  the  declivity  or  descent  which  is  supposed 
originally  formed  the  great  Falls  of  Niagara.  It  is  the  opin- 
ion of  many  that  at  some  remote  period  the  waters  from  the 
Niagara  River  flowed  down  this  valley  to  the  eastward,  and 
that  part  of  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie  were  dise7nbogued  down 
the  cataract  from  Oak  Orchard  Creek,  as  well  as  down  that 
of  the  Genesee  by  way  of  Black  Creek,  until  the  bed  of  Ni- 
agara River  became  so  much  deepened  as  to  discharge  ali 
17*  . 


198        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

the  water  through  its  channel.  These  are,  however,  but 
speculative  opinions,  which  1  only  mention  to  evince  that  the 
tract  ol"  country  is  remarkable  for  iis  horizontal  position. 

"  I  profess  to  have  a  pretty  accurate  kno\vled<re  of  this 
tract  of  country  as  far  as  it  extends  through  the  Holland 
Purchase,  both  from  observations  and  surveys,  and  allot- 
ments we  have  made  ;  and  it  appears  to  me  that  nature 
seems  to  have  pointed  out  this  route  for  a  canal,  not  only  in 
consequence  of  the  little  labour,  comparatively  speaking, 
that  would  be  required  in  digging  it,  but  because  the  neces- 
sary materials  for  the  construction  of  locks  are  close  at 
hand.  Oak  Orchard  Creek  is  navigable  for  large  boats  from 
where  it  would  he  intersected  by  the  canal  to  the  horizontal 
stratum  of  rocks  that  forms  its  first  cataract,  being,  as  is 
supposed,  the  same  stratum  that  forms  the  Falls  of  Niagara 
and  Genesee.  At  this  place  any  quantity  of  the  best  shaped 
limestone  may  be  procured,  lying  in  horizontal  strata  of  al- 
most any  superficial  dimensions,  and  between  6,  10,  and  12 
inches  in  thickness,  which  might  be  conveyed  thence  in 
boats  for  the  construction  of  locks  or  other  purposes ;  and 
almost  everywhere,  as  far  as  the  canal  would  extend  through 
the  Holland  Purchase,  a  little  to  the  northward  of  the  route 
I  have  laid  down,  stone  of  the  same  kind  may  be  obtained, 
and  also  at  the  Genesee  River  at  the  upper  cataract. 

"  The  number  of  locks  that  might  be  required  between 
the  Niagara  and  Genesee  Rivers  1  have  not  the  requisite  in- 
formation to  ascertain,  not  knowing  the  difference  in  elevation 
of  the  beds  of  the  respective  rivers  Niagara  and  Genesee 
above  the  water  in  Lake  Ontario,  or  how  much  Oak  Or- 
chard Creek  (where  it  would  be  intersected  by  this  canal)  is 
elevated  above  either  the  Niagara  or  Genesee  Rivers.  I  am, 
however,  clearly  of  opinion  that  Oak  Orchard  Creek  may 
be  considered  the  crown  level ;  as  it  meanders  through  the 
same  piece  of  lowland  or  swamp  (called  the  Tonnewanta 
Swamp)  from  which  Tonnewanta  and  Black  Creek  receive 
part  of  their  waters,  as  will  be  observed  by  the  map  here- 
with forwarded.  And  here  1  cannot  omit  mentioning  a  re- 
markable fact  relative  to  this  valley  of  country,  which  is, 
that  in  the  early  part  of  the  spring  season,  on  the  dissolv- 
ing of  the  snow,  when  all  the  lowlands  are  covered  with 
water,  if  it  were  not  for  the  obstruction  of  bushes  and 
fallen  timbers,  a  canoe  might  be  navigated  from  the  Niagara 
River  up  the  waters  of  the  Tonnewanta  Creek  (by  the  way 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.  199 

of  Oak  Orchard  and  Black  Creeks)  to  the  Genesee  River, 
being  the  same  path  I  have  delineated  on  the  enclosed  plan 
for  the  canal.  This  circumstance,  together  with  other  ob- 
servations I  have  made  upon  the  horizontal  formation  of  the 
country,  with  the  path  I  have  delineated,  induces  me  to  be- 
lieve that  at  most  two  locks  at  A  [referring  to  the  map  sent 
herewith],  with  each  8  or  9  feet  lifts,  would  be  sufficient 
to  navigate  the  canal,  and  that  there  would  be  no  other  lock 
required  until  the  canal  began  to  descend  Black  Creek  ; 
and  from  the  best  information  I  can  obtain,  six  locks  each  8 
or  10  feet  lifts  would  be  found  sufficient  to  navigate  a  boat 
from  thence  to  the  navigable  waters  of  Black  Creek  commu- 
nicating with  Genesee  river. 

"  Another  advantage  that  this  route  possesses,  is  the  great 
facility  with  which  the  canal  may  be  supplied  with  water. 
Oak  Orchard  Creek,  which  is  sufficiently  large  in  the  driest 
season  for  turning  an  undershot  mill,  will  intersect  the  canal 
on  the  crown  level.  Tonnewanta  and  Allen's  Creeks,  both 
of  which  take  their  rise  above  the  upper  or  southern  terrace, 
maybe  conveyed  to  this  canal  at  a  small  expense,  and  Ton- 
newanta in  particular  in  several  places  at  an  expense  less 
than  BOOO  dollars.  There  are  also  many  small  streams 
that  flow  in  the  valley  both  from  the  north  and  south  of  the 
canal,  which  might  be  used  for  that  purpose."     *     *     * 

"  Mr.  Ellicott  here  proceeds  to  make  a  detailed  estimate 
of  the  expense  of  the  canal  from  the  Niagara  or  Lake  Erie 
to  Genesee  River,  and  from  Genesee  River  to  the  navigable 
waters  of  Mud  Creek ;  and  also  to  give  at  large  the  reasons 
why  this  route  had  altogether  the  preference  over  the  lake 
route  by  Oswego,"  &c,,  says  Micah  Brooks,  to  whose 
researches  we  are  indebted  for  these  extracts  from  docu- 
ments which  have  long  lain  unnoticed  among  the  papers  of 
Mr.  Ellicott  at  Batavia.  "  The  original  letters  of  Mr.  Elli- 
cott  to  the  surveyor-general  were- in  the  hands  of  the  canal 
commissioners,  who  took  them  from  Albany  with  them  in 
travelling  westward,  and  left  them  probably  at  Mr.  Ellicott's 
residence  in  Batavia,  where  they  spent  some  days  with  him, 
as  I  am  informed.  Mr.  Ellicott  concluded  his  argument  in 
favour  of  canalling  through  the  overland  route,  by  de- 
claring his  conviction  that  it  '  would  more  eminently  con- 
tribute to  the  benefit  of  the  nation  than  any  other  undertaking 
of  the  kind  in  any  other  part  of  the  United  States.'  The 
date  of  these  letters,  to  which  so  much  importance  was  pub- 


200  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

licV  a'ached  by  Surveyor-general  De  Witt  and  Mr.  Ged- 
des  at  the  time,  should  not  be  forgotten — it  was  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1808." 

Among  some  manuscripts  in  our  possession,  for  use,  per- 
haps, in  another  work,  there  is  a  statement  by  General  Brooks 
concerning  other  early  movements  on  the  canal  question,  from 
which  we  may  quote  here  a  few  passages  illustrative  of 
the  exertions  of  Jesse  Ilawley  and  Joseph  Ellicott  in  origi- 
nating and  supporting  the  canal  policy,  and  the  coldness 
with  which  that  policy  was  viewed  at  the  time  by  some  of 
the  most  prominent  men  who  afterward  rendered  essential 
service  in  carrying  it  into  effect  : 

"  In  addition  to  the  statements  of  Judge  Howell  and  Mr. 
Myron  Holley  respecting  the  authorship  of  the  numbers  of 
'  Hercules'  which  first  proposed  the  overland  route  for  the 
canal  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Hudson,"  says  General  Brooks, 
"  I  may  stale  that  it  was  while  Mr.  Jesse  Hawley  was  cor- 
recting the  proof-sheet  of  one  of  those  numbers  in  the  Gen- 
esee Messenger  Ollice  in  Canandaigua  in  1807,  that  I  was 
introduced  to  him,  and  learned  that  he  was  the  author  of 
those  important  essays.  The  subject  produced  some  con- 
versation between  us,  and  thenceforward  I  took  a  decided 
interest  in  favour  of  the  mighty  enterprise.  In  the  fall  of 
1808,  when  about  to  leave  Ontario  county  for  Albany,  to 
take  a  seat  in  the  assembly,  I  borrowed  from  Mr.  Hawley 
a  file  of  the  Genesee  Messenger,  containing  the  essays  un- 
der the  signature  of  '  Hercules,'  as  mentioned  in  his  letter  to 
Dr.  Hosack  ;  and  in  conversation  with  Mr.  H.,  agreed  to 
call  during  the  winter  on  Governor  Tompkins,  De  Witt 
Clinton,  John  Taylor,  Simeon  De  Witt,  and  others,  for  the 
purpose  of  inviting  their  attention  to  the  project  boldly  ad- 
vanced in  those  papers. 

"  On  my  arrival  in  Albany,  I  lost  no  time  in  executing  my 
intentions.  I  called  on  Gov.  Tompkins  with  the  papers, 
and  explained  the  object  :  he  expressed  a  strong  desire  to 
investigate  the  subject,  but  remarked  that  his  executive  du- 
ties would  not  allow  him  time  for  the  purpose  during  the 
session  of  the  legislature.  I  next  called  on  Mr.  Clinton  and 
Mr.  Taylor,  neither  of  whom  took  any  interest  in  the  sub- 
ject or  expressed  a  desire  to  peruse  the  papers  which  were 
proflfered  for  their  consideration.  This  was  a  time  of  much 
political  excitement,  in  which  the  feelings  of  Mr.  Clinton 
were  deeply  involved.     I  next  called  on  Simeon  De  Witt, 


PROGRESS  OP  IMPROVEMENT.         201 

the  surveyor-general,  who  requested  me  to  leave  the  essays 
with  him,  saying  that  he  would  examine  them  at  his  earliest 
leisure.  In  conversation  with  Mr.  De  Witt  concerning  the 
projected  canal  route,  he  told  me  that  he  had  received  a 
number  of  letters  from  Mr.  Joseph  Ellicott,  agent  of  the 
Holland  Land  Company ;  and  that  Mr.  E.  had  gone  so  far 
as  to  trace  a  practicable  route  from  Lake  Erie  to  Genesee 
River,  with  the  assurance  likewise  that  it  could  be  extended 
through  Ontario  county  to  the  Seneca  River — Mr.  De  Witt 
meanwhile  tracing  on  a  map  the  line  proposed  by  Mr.  Elli- 
cott for  the  canal.  Mr.  De  Witt  further  stated  that,  at  that 
time,  Mr.  Geddes  was  engaged  in  exploring  the  route 
through  the  county  of  Ontario.  I  left  the  essays  of  Mr. 
Hawley  with  the  surveyor-general.  *  ^  *  *  Anxious 
to  render  myself  familiar  with  furiher  information  from  one 
so  well  qualified  to  impart  it — qualified  alike  by  his  abilities 
as  a  surveyor,  by  his  particular  knowledge  of  the  (tountry, 
and  by  his  powerful  intellect,  I  went  to  see  Mr.  Ellicott  at 
Batavia,  soon  after  my  return  from  Albany,  for  the  sole  pur- 
pose of  inquiring  on  a  subject  wherein  my  feelings  were  ac- 
tively enlisted.  '  The  practicability  of  the  plan  is  with  me 
beyond  doubt,'  he  said,  adding,  in  his  usual  emphatic  man- 
ner, *  /  know  the  fact.''  He  farther  added  that  the  cost  of 
the  whole  route  of  the  canal  could  easily  be  calculated, 
and  at  the  same  time  named  a  sum  that  it  would  probably 
cost.  *  *  *  Thus,  simultaneously  with  the  labours  of 
Mr.  Hawley  through  the  press,  we  find  that  Mr.  Ellicott 
(the  enterprising  pioneer  of  the  forest,  the  able  engineer,  and 
the  practical  operator)  was  zealously  engaged  in  bringing 
to  view  the  then  undiscovered  part  of  the  proposed  canal 
route.  The  exertions  of  this  bold  spirit  did  not  stop  here  ; 
and  we  are  to  presume  that  it  was  his  influence  that  obtained 
the  donation  from  the  Holland  Land  Company  (as  early  as 
1813)  of  the  100,000  acres  of  land  to  aid  the  state  in  effect- 
ing the  contemplated  improvements." 

The  examinations  of  Mr.  Geddes  were,  in  accordance 
with  his  instructions,  chiefly  devoted  to  the  Oswego  or  On- 
tario route — the  course  indicated  by  Messrs.  Hawley  and 
Ellicott,  and  contemplated  by  Judge  Forman,  being  consid- 
ered of  a  secondary  character,  although  its  practicability 
was  pretty  well  established  by  the  information  from  Mr.  El- 
licott introduced  in  the  report  of  Mr.  G.  along  with  his  own 
actual  survey  of  the  Irondequoit  Valley.     Speaking  of  "  an 


202        SKETCHES  OP  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

interior  route  without  passing  through  Lake  Ontario,"  Mr. 
Geckles  said,  in  the  third  branch  of  his  Report  in  1809, 
"  This  route  is  proposed  from  the  Oneida  Lake  along  the 
track  at  present  pursued  by  the  navigation  to  the  Cayuga 
Marshes;  thence  up  the  valley  of  Mud  Creek,  and  across 
the  country  to  the  Genesee  River ;  thence  up  Black  Creek 
to  the  Tonnewanta  Swamp,  and  dotcn  the  Tonnewanta  Creek 
to  Niagara  River,  and  up  the  same  to  Lake  Erie.''  [Mr. 
Geddes  here  noticed  only  the  route  proposed  by  Mr.  Elli- 
cott  between  Genesee  River  and  Lake  Erie.]  "  If  the  fer- 
tile country  around  these  lakes  and  rivers,  which  would  be 
immediately  benefited  by  this  work,"  he  added,  "  should 
alone  be  of  sufficient  importance  to  cause  it  to  be  done  in  a 
complete  and  perfect  manner  as  far  west  as  the  Cayuga, 
then  the  continuance  of  the  interior  route  and  the  route 
through  Lake  Ontario  may  be  more  easily  compared  by 
considering  the  Ontario  route  to  start  at  Three-river  Point, 
and  the  interior  route  from  the  Cayuga  Marshes'''' — the 
route  between  Three-river  Point  (on  the  Oswego  River)  and 
the  Hudson  River  being  common  to  the  trade  to  and  from 
the  two  routes  reaching  towards  the  great  lakes.  "  From 
the  Cayuga  Marshes  to  Black-Rock,"  at  tlie  foot  of  Lake 
Erie,  says  Mr.  Geddes  in  his  report,  "is  109  miles,  meas- 
ured in  a  direct  line  on  a  map.  Almost  everything  respect- 
ing this  space  has  been  supplied  by  conjectures  formed  from 
appearances  on  the  map.  The  summit  between  Tonne- 
wanta Creek  and  Black  Creek  [which  creeks  interlock  be- 
tween Genesee  River  and  Lake  Erie — the  first  running 
westward  and  the  other  eastward],  is  an  extensive  level  of 
■vvet  land  called  the  Tonnewanta  Swamp  ;  and  is  estimated 
by  Judge  Ellicott  at  only  80  feet  or  so  above  the  level  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Tonnewanta  Creek  [at  Niagara  River].  If 
so,  the  said  summit  is  scarcely  ten  feet  above  the  level  of 
Lake  Erie.  It  is  stated  that,  by  means  of  Oak  Orchard 
Creek  and  other  streams  that  can  be  commanded,  there  will 
be  a  sufficient  supply  of  water  for  said  summit,  and  that  a 
canal  the  greater  part  of  the  way  may  be  made  almost 
straight,  and  the  cutting  very  easy." 

The  Report  of  Mr.  Geddes,  from  which  these  extracts  are 
taken,  was  submitted  to  the  Legislature  by  the  surveyor- 
general  in  1809.  'I'he  language  above  quoted,  shows  that 
Mr.  G.  relied  mainly  on  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Ellicott  re- 
specting the  practicability  of  canalling  between  Lake  Erie 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.        203 

and  the  Genesee  River,  not  having  then  examined  that  por- 
tion of  the  proposed  route.  But  from  Genesee  River  east- 
ward to  the  waters  of  Mud  Cre(  k  running  into  Seneca 
River,  Mr.  Geddes  made  some  important  surveys  and  ob- 
servations, touching  the  practicability  of  overcoming  the  for- 
midable ob.-5tacles  presented  by  the  Irondequoit  Valley,  &;c. 
"  After  spending  the  money  and  summer  of  that  year  (1808) 
in  examinations  between  liakes  Erie  and  Ontario,  Mud 
Creek  and  Sodus  Bay,  Oneida  Lake  and  Ontario,  &c,,  the 
spot  of  great  difhculty  and  uncertainty  respecting  our  irtZa/jd 
route  remained  unexamined,  to  wit:  the  tract  between  Gen- 
esee River  and  Palmyra,  or  head  waters  of  Mud  Creek,  and 
the  hopes  from  a  view  of  the  maps  discouraging  indeed," 
says  Mr.  Geddes  in  a  letter  written  in  1822.  "  Where  was 
the  water  to  be  got  for  locking  over  the  high  land  that  was 
supposed  to  rise  between  Genesee  River  and  Mud  Creek  t 
All  knowledge  of  an  interior  route  was  incomplete  while 
this  piece  of  country  remained  unknown.  In  December  of 
that  year  (1808)  I  again  left  home  for  the  above  object  ; 
and  alter  discovering  at  the  west  end  of  Palmyra  that  sin- 
gular brook  which  divides,  running  part  to  Oswego  and  part 
to  Irondequoit  Bay,  I  levelled  from  this  spot  to  the  Genesee 
River,  and  to  my  great  joy  and  surprise  found  the  level  of 
the  river  far  elevated  above  the  spot  where  the  brooks  part- 
ed, and  no  high  land  between.  But  to  make  the  Genesee 
River  run  down  Mud  Creek,  it  must  be  got  over  the  Ironde- 
quoit Valley.  After  levelling  from  my  first  line  1^-  miles 
lip  the  valley,  I  found  the  place  where  the  canal  is  taken  [by 
an  embankment  and  culvert]  across  that  stream.  This  for- 
midable obstruction  I  examined,  levelling  over  where  the 
canal  is  now  made.  *  *  *  *  The  passage  of  the  Iron- 
dequoit Valley  is  on  a  surface  not  surpassed  perhaps  in  the 
world  for  singularity,"  &c.  "  While  traversing  tliese  snowy 
hills  in  December,  1808,  I  little  thought  of  ever  seeing  the 
Genesee  waters  crossing  the  valley  on  the  embankment," 
&c. 

Judge  Forman,  in  consequence  of  (though  not  in  full  ac- 
cordance with)  whose  resolution  the  surveys  or  examinations 
were  undertaken,  says,  under  date  of  1828,  in  reviewing  the 
canal  operations,  "  The  Report  of  Judge  Geddes  in  Canal 
Documents,  vol.  i.,  p.  13  to  38,  proving  beyond  a  doubt 
the  practicability  of  a  canal  on  the  interior  route,  and  put- 
ting at  rest  all  farther  question  of  the  one  through  Lake  On- 


204         SKETCHES  OP  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

tario,  came  in  during  the  session  of  1808-9,  and  rendered 
the  project  of  such  a  canal,  as  a  feasible  one,  familiar  to  a  great 
body  of  the  men  of  intelligence  in  the  stale.  The  Board  of 
Commissioners  appointed  under  Gen.  Piatt's  resolution  of 
the  ensuing  session,  took  this  report  from  the  office  of  the 
surveyor-general,*  and  with  it  in  their  hands  explored  the 
route  there  designated  ;  and  satisfied  with  his  examination, 
never  caused  any  surveys  with  a  view  to  the  Ontario  route 
— and  the  surveys  and  plans  of  the  Boyle  [Penfield]  summit 
and  Gerundegut  embankment,  comparing  exactly  with  the 
canal  as  now  excavated,  establish  iiicontestibly  its  identity  as 
the  first  stage  of  that  splendid  work  which  reflects  so  much 
credit  upon  the  state  and  nation.  Judge,  then,  my  surprise 
(when,  after  the  middle  section  was  completed,  all  opposition 
having  ceased,  both  parties  were  contending  which  should 
gain  popularity  by  forwarding  the  canal  policy,  and  a  scram- 
ble had  commenced  for  the  credit  of  originating  the  measiu-e) 
to  see  it  stated  by  Ferris  Pell  in  his  Review,  p.  177,  that  a 
resolution  introduced  by  me  in  1808,  '  was  adopted  and  re- 
sulted in  nothing.'  " 

Nothing  further  was  done  by  the  legislature  in  reference 
to  the  proposed  connexion  between  the  Hudson  and  the 
lakes  until  the  following  year  (1810),  when  Thomas  Eddy, 
the  indefatigable  friend  of  improvement,  whose  exertions  are 
already  noticed  in  connexion  with  the  Inland  Lock  Naviga- 
tion Companies,  had  a  consultation  with  Jonas  Piatt  of  the 
Senate,  which  resulted  in  a  determination  of  the  latter  to 
propose  a  resolution  (which  passed  both  branches  of  the 
legislature)  for  appointing  seven  "  commissioners  to  explore 
the  whole  route  for  inland  navigation  from  the  Hudson  River 
to  Lake  Ontario  and  to  Lake  Erie."  Gouverneur  Morris, 
Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  De  Witt  Clinton,  Simeon  De  Witt, 
William  North,  Thomas  Eddy,  and  Peter  B.  Porter  were 
the  commissioners  appointed. 

It  was  in  support  of  this  measure  that  De  Witt  Clinton, 
then  a  Senator,  first  publicly  advocated  the  canal  policy. 
Judge  Plait  and  Mr.  Eddy  having  previously  called  upon 
him  to  solicit  his  support  for  the  proposition.     Some  remarks 

*  The  commissioners  likewise  had  with  them  the  essays  of  Mr.  Haw- 
ley  and  the  letters  of  Mr.  ElHcoU ;  and,  as  before  stated,  it  was  the 
calculations  of  Mr.  Ellicott  that  Mr.  Geddes  and  Surveyor-General 
De  Witt  mainly  relied  on  for  all  their  calculations  west  of  Genesee 
River,  as  shown  in  their  own  statements. 


PROGRESS   OF   niPROVEMENT.  205 

made  by  Judge  Piatt  upon  this  interesting  portion  of  our 
canal  history  are  worthy  of  notice  in  this  connexion.  Re- 
ferring to  the  consultation  between  Mr.  Eddy  and  himself, 
in  which  they  planned  the  resolution  just  mentioned,  Judge 
P.  says  : 

"  Mr.  Eddy  and  myself  then  designated  for  commission- 
ers Gouverneur  Morris,  De  Witt  Clinton,  Stephen  Van  Rens- 
selaer, Simeon  De  Witt,  Benjamin  Walker,  Peter  B.  Porter, 
and  Thomas  Eddy.  Our  object  was  to  balance  the  oppo- 
sing political  parties  as  nearly  as  possible,  and  to  combine 
talents,  influence,  and  wealth  in  constituting  this  board  ;  and 
as  De  Witt  Clinton  was  then  a  member  of  the  Senate,  pos- 
sessing a  powerful  influence  over  the  dominant  party  in  the 
state,  it  was  considered  by  Mr.  Eddy  and  myself  of  primary 
importance  to  obtain  his  co-operaiion.  We  accordingly  re- 
quested an  interview  with  Mr.  Clinton,  and  unfolded  to  him 
our  plan,  and  the  prominent  facts  and  considerations  in  sup- 
port of  it ;  and  I  distinctly  remember  that,  in  showing  him 
the  names  of  the  persons  we  had  proposed  as  commission- 
ers, I  stated  to  Mr.  Clinton  that  we  had  selected  men  of 
wealth  and  public  spirit,  with  an  expectation  that  they  would 
bestow  their  time  and  services  whhout  compensation ;  so 
that  we  might  then  only  ask  an  appropriation  for  the  expenses 
of  the  engineers  and  surveyors  who  were  to  be  employed 
by  the  commissioners. 

"  Mr.  Clinton  listened  to  us  with  intense  interest  and  deep 
agitation  of  mind.  He  then  said  that  he  was  in  a  great 
measure  a  stranger  to  the  western  interior  of  our  state;  that 
he  had  given  but  little  attention  to  the  subject  of  canal  navi- 
gation, but  that  the  exposition  of  our  plan  struck  his  mind 
with  great  force  ;  that  he  was  then  prepared  to  say  that  it 
was  an  object  worthy  of  thorough  examination  ;  and  that  if  I 
would  move  the  resolution  in  blank  (without  the  names  of 
the  commissioners),  he  would  second  and  support  it. 

"Stephen  Van  Rensselaer  and  Abraham  Van  Vechten 
were  then  members  of  the  House  of  Assembly.  I  immedi- 
ately called  on  them,  and  showed  them  the  proposed  resolu- 
tion, and  the  names  intended  to  be  inserted  in  it  as  commis- 
sioners. They  heartily  assented  to  it,  and  promised  to  aid 
its  passage  in  the  Assembly ;  but  Mr.  Van  Rensselaer  re- 
quested that  his  friend  William  North  might  be  added  as  a 
commissioner,  or  substituted  for  one  of  the  others.  I  then 
went  to  the  senate  chamber,  and  moved  the  resolution  of  the 
18  :   -. 


mm  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

12th  March,  1810  (as  the  journal  will  show),  with  an  intro- 
ductory speech.  Mr.  Clinton  seconded  and  supported  it ; 
and  the  resolution  (in  blank)  was  unanimously  agreed  to. 
Next  morning,  I  moved  to  insert  the  names  of  Gouverneur 
Morris,  De  Witt  Clinton,  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  Simeon 
De  Witt,  William  Nortli,  Peter  B.  Porter,  and  Thomas  Ed- 
dy,* who  were  unanimously  agreed  to  in  the  Senate,  and  the 
concurrent  resolution  was,  on  the  same  day,  unanimously 
adopted  in  the  Assembly." 

"  From  that  period  Mr.  Clinton  devoted  the  best  powers 
of  his  vigorous  and  capacious  mind  to  this  subject;  and  he 
appeared  to  grasp  and  realize  it  as  an  object  of  the  highest 
public  utility,  and  worthy  of  his  noblest  ambition." 

The  commissioners  explored  the  proposed  route  from  the 
Hudson  to  Lake  Erie  in  the  summer  of  1810;  and  made 
their  first  report  to  the  legi^ature  in  1811.  This  document 
was  prepared  by  Mr.  Morris,  as  president  of  the  board  ;  and 
"  proposed  a  project  which,  akhough  the  signatures  of  all  the 
commissioners  were  attached,  was  entertained  seriously  by 
no  other  member  of  the  board."  This  project,  proposed 
originally  by  Jesse  Hawley,  "  was  to  bring  the  waters  of  the 
lake,  on  one  continued  uninterrupted  plane,  with  an  inclina- 
tion of  six  inches  in  every  mile,  to  a  basin  to  be  formed  near 
the  margin  of  the  Hudson,  from  whence  there  was  to  be  a 
descent  by  a  great  number  of  locks.  This  project  was 
thought  by  many  to  be  impracticable  ;  and  its  having  been 
presented  as  a  plan  which  the  commissioners  recommended, 
was  calculated  to  retard  the  enterprise  ;  but  the  report  bears 
testimony  to  the  genius  and  the  eloquence  of  the  writer." — 
(Golden.) 

This  report  was  promptly  followed  by  the  passage  of  a 
bill  increasing  the  number  of  commissioners  by  adding  Rob- 
ert R.  Livingston  and  Robert  Fulton  ;  referring  to  them  all 
matters  concerning  the  navigation  between  the  Hudson  and 
the  lakes  ;  authorizing  them  to  apply  to  other  states  and 
to  the  national  government  for  co-operation  and  aid  ;  to 
ascertain  whether  loans  could  be  procured,  and  to  negotiate 

*  Such  was  the  excellent  character  of  this  unostentatious  Friend,  that 
his  biographer  (for  Colonel  Knapp  has  lately  published  a  volume  about 
Thomas  Eddy)  considers  his  exertions  for  the  physical  improvement  of 
the  state — and  they  were  sufficient  to  merit  the  lasting  gratitude  of  his 
countrymen — as  of  minor  importa'hce  when  compared  with  his  efforts 
for  the  moral  welfare  of  the  human  race  ;  efforts  which  rendered  him 
well  worthy  of  the  name  of  "the  Howard  of  America." 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.         207 

with  the  Inland  Lock  Navigation  Companies  for  a  surrender 
of  their  rights  and  interests.  This  bill  was  introduced  by- 
Mr.  Clinton,  and  gave  earnest  of  the  zeal  with  which  he  af- 
terward laboured  in  the  cause  of  internal  improvement. 

"In  the  Report  of  1811,"  says  Mr.  Jesse  Hawley,  the 
canal  commissioners  "  embraced  several  leading  points  which 
I  had  advanced  in  my  essays,  viz.  :  of  its  being  a  national 
work,  and  proposing  to  construct  it  on  an  inclined  plane. 
The  former  they  applied  to  Congress  for,  but  failed  to  obtain. 
The  latter,  as  from  Buffalo  to  Albany,  was  found  impracti- 
cable, owing  to  the  great  elevation  of  the  hills  at  the  Little 
Falls  on  the  Mohawk  River.  I  never  heard  that,  under 
these  circumstances,  Mr.  Alorris  made  any  claim  to  the 
original  idea  of  the  overland  route.  I  believe  Mr.  Morris, 
if  alive,  would  say  for  himself  that  his  first  idea  was  the 
Lake  Route,  and  the  locking  up  of  the  falls  of  Niagara  into 
Lake  Erie.  Such  was  decidedly  the  idea  of  Messrs.  Gal- 
latin, Porter,  and  Woodward,  who  wrote  on  the  subject  after 
I  had  written  ;  and  in  which  Judge  Woodward  (of  Michi- 
gan) was  very  tenacious,  terming  the  overland  route.,  then 
under  dioousoion,  tt  jhort~isig7ttcd  and  selfish  policy  in  New* 

York." 

Pursuant  to  the  law,  and  in  accordance  with  feelings  ex- 
cited by  the  language  of  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Mr.  Gallatin  in 
1807-8,  respecting  appropriations  from  the  national  revenue 
for  encouraging  internal  improvements,  the  canal  commis- 
sioners promptly  applied  to  the  federal  government  for  as- 
sistance. In  December,  1811,  President  Madison  transmit- 
ted to  Congress  the  application,  accompanied  by  these 
among  other  remarks  : — 

"  The  utility  of  canal  navigation  is  universally  admitted. 
It  is  no  less  certain  that  scarcely  any  country  offers  more 
extensive  opportunities  for  that  branch  of  improvement  than 
the  United  States  ;  and  none,  perhaps,  inducements  equally- 
persuasive  to  make  the  most  of  them.  The  particular  un- 
dertaking contemplated  by  the  State  of  New-York,  which 
marks  an  honourable  spirit  of  enterprise,  and  comprises  ob- 
jects of  national  as  well  as  more  limited  importance,  will 
recall  the  attention  of  Congress  to  the  signal  advantages  to 
be  derived  to  the  United  States  from  a  general  system  of  in- 
ternal communication  and  conveyance,  and  suggest  to  their 
consideration  whatever  steps  may  be  proper  on  their  part 
towards  its  introduction  and  accomplishment.  As  some  of 
those  advantages  have  an  intimate  connexion  with  the  ar- 


208        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

rangements  and  exertions  for  the  general  security,  il  is  at  a 
period  (the  eve  of  war)  calling  for  those  that  the  merits  of 
such  a  system  will  be  seen  in  the  strongest  lights." 

Gouverneur  Morris  and  De  Witt  Clinton,  who  were  depu- 
ted by  the  Canal  Commissioners,  attended  at  the  seat  of  the 
general  government  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  its  aid.  In 
the  month  of  January,  1812,  they  appeared  before  a  com- 
mittee of  the  House  of  Representatives,  consisting  of  a  mem- 
ber from  each  state;  and  "  Mr.  Morris  made  a  grand  and 
luminous  exposition  of  his  views  in  relation  to  the  Erie 
Canal  and  several  other  similar  projects  in  various  parts  of 
the  United  States,"  says  Hermanns  Bleecker.  But  this  ap- 
peal to  Congress,  like  another  at  a  subsequent  period,  was 
wholly  fruitless. 

The  commissioners  likewise  addressed  the  several  states. 
Favourable  answers  were  received  from  Massachusetts  and 
Tennessee;  New-Jersey  was  indilTerent  to  the  project,  hav- 
ing projects  more  connected  with  her  own  interests  ;  Con- 
necticut deemed  the  measure  inexpedient,  but  left  her  dele- 
gates in  Congress  to  act  at  theirdiscretion  ;  Vermont  approved 
iuc  proposed  measure.  The  territorial  government  of  Mich- 
igan, by  the  then  secretary,  Mr.  Woodward,  made  a  long  re- 
ply, objecting  to  the  route,  and  urging  adherence  to  the  lake 
navigation  by  a  lockage  of  the  Niagara  and  Oswego  Falls ;  pre- 
ferring on  all  accounts  the  natural  instead  of  an  artificial  route. 

In  replying  to  the  inquiry  wliether  Ohio  would  participate 
in  the  expense,  as  she  would  enjoy  the  benefits  of  the  pro- 
posed communication  between  the  lakes  and  the  seaboard, 
the  Legislature  of  that  stale  answered  by  resolution,  substan- 
tially, that  "  we  had  her  best  wishes  ;  that  she  knew  very 
well  she  would  be  greatly  benefited  if  our  enterprise  should 
be  executed,  but  that  she  was  well  assured  we  could  do  it 
ourselves  ;  that  she  was  very  young,  and  not  rich  :  she,  how- 
ever, testified  her  disposition  to  serve  us  as  far  as  her  re- 
sources would  justify,  if  she  approved,  when  made  known  to 
her,  the  plan  we  proposed  to  adopt.  Fortunately,"  continues 
Golden,  "  we  have  had  no  occasion  to  remind  Ohio  of  this 
engagement ;  and  every  friend  of  internal  improvements 
must  rejoice  that  no  partof  her  resources  have  been  diverted 
from  the  great  works  in  which  she  is  so  nobly  engaged. 
When  it  is  considered  that  the  population  of  her  territory  in 
1790  did  not  exceed  3000  souls,  her  canals  are  stronger  ev- 
idence than  the  world  has  yet  aflbrded  of  what  can  be  done 
by  the  moral  energies  of  a  free  people,  guided  by  wise. 


PKOGRESS    OF    I3IPROVEMENT.  209 

enterprising,  and  magnanimous  counsellors.  By  opening  a 
channel  between  Lake  Erie  and  the  trans-Allegany  navigable 
waters,  Ohio  renders  us  infinitely  greater  service  than  she 
could  have  done  by  any  contribution  to  our  funds.  She  will 
not  lay  out  a  dollar  on  her  canals  that  will  not  be  nearly  of 
as  much  advantage  to  us  as  to  herself.  It  would  be  to  our 
interest  to  open  the  communication  through  Ohio  at  our  own 
expense,  and  to  let  it  be  a  free  passage  rather  than  it  should 
not  be  done." 

The  commissioners  made  a  second  report  to  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1812,  when  a  law  was  made,  authorizing  them  to 
borrow  five  millions  of  dollars  for  the  construction  of  the 
canals.  But  nothing  important  occurred  on  the  subject  till 
after  the  war  with  Great  Britain  was  terminated,  although 
the  commissioners  made  a  report  in  1814,  strongly  urging 
the  practicability  of  the  canals,  the  competency  of  the  state 
to  undertake  them,  and  the  expediency  of  employing  ener- 
getic measures  to  accomplish  the  proposed  works. 

"The  attentionof  the  Legislature,  however,  was  engrossed 
by  the  then  existing  war.  Li  consequence  of  the  disarrange- 
ment of  the  national  finances,"  says  Golden,  "  the  State  of 
New- York  was  obliged  to  employ  its  funds  on  objects  which 
properly  belonged  to  the  general  government ;  and  besides, 
a  very  considerable  opposition  had  arisen  to  the  improvement 
of  our  inland  navigation  upOn  the  great  scale  which  the  com- 
missioners had  proposed.  Many  believed  in  the  imprac- 
ticability of  the  project;  others,  who  admitted  that  it  might 
be  accomplished,  thought  the  work  too  mighty  for  the  power 
and  resources  of  the  state.  It  was  also  unpropitious  to 
the  adoption  of  the  great  design,  that  the  friends  of  im- 
provements in  internal  navigation  differed  in  opinion  as  to 
the  course  which  ought  to  be  pursued  ;  some  thinking  that 
the  Ontario  route  (which  has  been  before  explained)  should 
be  preferred  to  carrying  the  canal  directly  to  Lake  Erie. 
Under  the  influence  of  these  feelings  and  opinions,  the  Le- 
gislature, in  the  session  of  1814,  repealed  that  part  of  the 
then  existing  law  which  empowered  the  commissioners  to 
borrow  five  millions  of  dollars.  However  dissatisfied  the 
friends  of  the  canals  were  with  this  repeal,  it  has  turned  out 
to  be  one  of  those  measures  which,  though  they  appeared 
unpropitious  at  the  time,  we  now  see  were  most  fortunate. 
The  war  prevented  the  employment  of  a  foreign  engineer, 
and  the  repeal  in  question  prevented  our  making  loans  abroad, 
18* 


210  SKETCHES   or   ROCHESTER,  ETC 

The  consequence  of  this  last  measure  has  been,  that  every 
cent  borrowed  on  account  of  tlie  canals  was  obtained  of 
our  own  citizens,  and  the  interest  paid  to  them  or  to  foreign- 
ers who  purchased  the  stock  at  an  advance.  Perhaps  the 
war  itself,  discouraging  as  were  its  immediate  effects,  may 
be  set  down  as  one  of  those  events  which  finally  had  a  ten- 
dency to  promote  the  commencement  and  execution  of  the 
canals.  The  want  of  a  practicable  communication  for  the 
conveyance  of  materials  of  war  from  the  seabord  to  the  west- 
ern frontier  was  grievously  felt.  It  has  been  said  that  the 
expense  of  transporting  cannon  from  Albany  to  the  lakes  was 
at  one  time  more  ilian  double  what  the  pieces  cost.  The 
postponement  of  the  project  for  a  few  years  was  also  for- 
tunate, inasmuch  as  it  brought  the  commencement  and  exe- 
cution of  it  to  a  time  when  money  could  be  more  easily  ob- 
tained, and  on  better  terms  than  it  could  have  been  at  per- 
haps any  prior  or  hitherto  subsequent  period." 

The  influences  of  the  war,  combined  with  the  retraction 
of  the  power  to  make  loans,  temporarily  abated  the  spirit  of 
improvement  to  such  a  degree  that  no  report  was  made  by 
the  commissioners  in  1815. 

At  the  close  of  that  year,  however,  public  feeling  was 
measurably  aroused  by  an  animated  assemblage  collected  in 
New- York  City  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  indefati- 
gable Thos.  Eddy,  Judge  Piatt,  Mr.  Clinton,  Mr.  John  Pin- 
lard,  and  a  few  others. 

It  was  as  chairman  of  a  committee  thereat  appointed  for 
the  purpose,  that  Mr.  Clinton  draughted  the  well-known  doc- 
ument known  as  "  the  New-York  Memorial" — the  effects  of 
which,  on  the  people  at  large  and  on  the  Legislature,  were 
immensely  beneficial.  The  eloquent  truths  of  that  admirable 
production  were  echoed  in  the  petitions  favouring  the  canal 
policy  which  poured  from  all  quarters  upon  the  Legislature 
at  the  ensuing  session. 

The  important  movement  made  at  New- York  was  chron- 
icled thus  by  Judge  Piatt,  one  of  the  principal  figures  in  the 
scene  : — "  Soon  after  the  war  ended,  a  consultation  was  held 
between  Mr.  Clinton,  Thos.  Eddy,  and  myself,  in  the  City 
of  New-York,  for  the  purpose  of  reviving  the  enterprise  of 
the  canal,  and  for  organizing  and  animating  its  friends 
throughout  the  state.  It  was  agreed  that  cards  of  invitation 
should  be  addressed  to  about  one  hundred  gentlemen  of  that 
city,  to  meet  at  the  City  Hotel,  to  consult  on  measures  for 


PROGRESS  OP  IMPROVEMENT.  211 

that  object.  A  meeting  was  held  accordingly,  in  the  autumn 
of  1815,  of  which  William  Bayard  was  chairman,  and  John 
Pintard  was  secretary.  According  to  previous  arrangement, 
an  address  was  made  to  the  meeting  by  myself,  in  which  I 
endeavoured  to  show  that  the  object  was  identified  with  the 
best  interests  of  the  state  ;  and  that  the  City  of  New- York 
was  peculiarly  interested  in  its  accomplishment.  In  that 
address  I  also  pointed  at  the  stupendous  project  of  a  canal 
on  an  uninterrupted  inclined  plane,  which  had  been  unfor- 
tunately proposed  in  the  first  report  of  the  commissioners,* 
and  I  urged  the  expediency  of  a  formal  and  publia  abandon- 
ment of  that  plan,  for  the  simple  mode  (afterward  adopted)  of 
following  the  general  surface  of  the  country  in  its  undula- 
tions. After  discussion,  a  resolution  was  then  passed,  appro- 
ving the  object,  and  appointing  a  committee,  consisting  of  De 
Witt  Clinton,  Thomas  Eddy,  Cadwallader  D.  Colden,  and 
John  Swartwout,  to  prepare  and  circulate  a  memorial  to  the 
Legislature  in  favour  of  the  Erie  Canal.  A  memorial  was 
drawn  and  published  accordingly.  It  was  from  the  pen  of 
Mr.  Clinton,  and  evinced  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  subject, 
with  a  sagacious  discernment  of  its  beneficial  results  to  the 
state  and  nation.  If  Mr.  Clinton  had  left  no  other  evidence, 
that  memorial  alone  is  sufficient  to  entitle  him  to  the  char- 
acter of  an  accomplished  writer,  an  enlightened  statesman, 
and  a  zealous  patriot." 

Some  of  the  western  movements  in  furtherance  of  the  ca- 
nal policy  are  particularly  worthy  of  notice  at  this  point. 
On  the  8th  of  January,  1817,  a  large  meeting  of  gentlemen 
from  most  of  the  towns  of  Ontario  county  (which  county 
then  included  part  of  the  site  of  Rochester — the  Genesee 
River  being  the  dividing  line  between  Genesee  and  Ontario 
counties)  was  held  at  Canandaigua.  The  proceedings  of  the 
assemblage  find  few  parallels  in  the  beauty  of  language  and 
the  force  of  reasoning.  The  remark  is  particularly  applicable 
to  the  resolutions  draughted  by  Myron  Holley,  for  several 
years  a  canal  commissioner,  and  now  a  resident  of  Roches- 
ter. Dr.  Hosack,  in  publishing  the  Ontario  proceedings 
among  the  documents  appended  to  his  eulogy  on  De  Witt 
Clinton,  ushers  them  with  the  following  remarks  : — 

"  Shortly  after  the  period  of  the  meeting  of  the  citizens  in 

*  The  matter  thus  discountenanced  was  part  of  Jesse  Hawley's  plan, 
which  had  been  adopted  by  Gouverneur  Morris  in  the  report  of  1811,  and 
to  the  prejudicial  effects  of  which  other  references  are  made. 


212        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

New-York  which  agreed  to  Mr.  Clinton's  celebrated  memo- 
rial to  the  Legislature,  urging  that  body  to  undertake  the  con- 
struction of  the  canal  as  a  work  of  the  state,  Col.  Troup  was 
concerned  with  the  late  Gideon  Granger,  John  Greig,  John 
C.  Nicholas,  N.  W.  Howell,  and  several  other  leading  gentle- 
men of  Ontario  county,  in  convening  a  large  meeting  at  Can- 
andaigua,  for  the  purpose  of  exciting  general  attention  to 
the  contemplated  improvements,  of  giving  a  right  direction 
to  public  opinion,  and  of  pressing  the  construction  of  the 
canals  as  a  work  of  the  state.  Few  meetings  have  been 
more  respectable  for  numbers,  character,  talent,  and  prop- 
erty. Such,  indeed,  had  been  the  active  exertions  of  Col. 
Troup,  and  such  his  weiglit  of  character  and  influence,  that 
he  was  appointed  chairman  of  the  meeting.  Mr.  Nathaniel 
Rochester,  another  gentleman  of  great  influence,  and  who 
has  since  that  period  filled  several  important  public  stations, 
was  appointed  secretary.  Gideon  Granger,  the  late  post- 
master-general, addressed  the  meeting  in  a  very  eloquent 
and  able  speech,  on  the  momentous  subject  for  which  that 
meeting  had  been  convened.  A  number  of  important  reso- 
lutions, drawn  up  by  Myron  IloUey,*  one  of  the  canal 
commissioners,  and  distinguished  for  his  valuable  services 
throughout  the  whole  progress  of  the  great  work  which  has 
been  achieved,  were  ofi'ered  by  John  Greig,  another  active 
friend  and  liberal  contributor  to  the  canal,  and  were  unani- 
mously passed.  These  resolutions  exhibited  with  great 
force  the  incalculable  advantages  that  would  necessarily 
flow  from  a  canal  navigation  between  Lake  Erie  and  the 

*  In  a  letter  addressed  to  Col.  Troup  by  John  Greig,  dated  Canan- 
daigua,  21st  May,  1828,  he  observes  :  "  To  Mr.  HoUey,  more  than  any 
one  else,  are  we  indebted  for  that  meeting,  and  for  the  popularity  which 
the  canal  policy  immediately  afterward  acquired  in  the  western  part  of 
the  state.  Indeed,  I  have  always  been  satisfied  that  his  intelligence 
and  zeal,  and  unwearied  exertions  both  of  mind  and  body  on  the  subject, 
from  the  moment  of  his  appointment  as  a  canal  commissioner,  essen- 
tially contributed  to  bring  the  Erie  Canal  to  a  successful  completion." 
The  reader  is  referred  to  a  letter  of  Mr.  Holley,  in  this  article,  concern- 
ing the  construction  of  the  canal  west  of  Seneca  River.  "Mr.  Hol- 
ley," says  Tacitus  (otherwise  Gov.  Clinton),  "  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  Avhen  the  initiatory  canal  law  was  passed,  which  he  advo- 
cated with  the  whole  force  of  his  talents.  His  mind  is  improved  by 
reading,  reflection,  and  conversation,  and  is  distinguished  for  extensive 
research  and  acute  discrimination.  He  has  devoted  his  whole  time  and 
attention,  mind  and  body,  to  the  canal ;  and  some  of  the  most  luminoua 
reports  and  communications  have  proceeded  from  his  pen." 


PROGRESS    OF    IMPROVEMENT.  213 

Hudson.  Of  these  resolutions  a  correspondent  observes, 
•  that,  both  in  matter  and  style,  they  may  justly  be  denom- 
inated a  near  relation  of  Mr.  Clinton's  memorial.'  The  pro- 
ceedings of  this  meeting,  as  may  readily  be  supposed,  made 
a  deep  impression  on  the  public  mind,  and  powerfully  con- 
tributed to  the  enlightened  policy  which  the  Legislature  sub- 
sequently embraced." 

The  governor  (Tompkins)  urged  the  subject  upon  the  at- 
tention of  the  two  houses  ;  and  the  commissioners  reported 
in  favour  of  an  immediate  prosecution  of  the  great  western 
canal,  and  likewise  of  the  proposed  union  of  the  Champlain 
with  the  Hudson  by  the  northern  canal. 

Notwithstanding  the  doubts  which  were  boldly  urged  by 
some  members  as  to  the  practicability  of  the  undertaking,  or 
the  capacity  of  the  state  to  accomplish  it — doubts  which 
were  manifested  by  repeated  efibrts  to  postpone  or  curtail  the 
project — the  law  of  1816,  to  prepare  for  effecting  communi- 
cations between  the  Hudson  and  Lake  Erie,  as  well  as  be- 
tween the  Hudson  and  Champlain,  was  passed  in  the  Assem- 
bly by  a  majority  of  seventy-three,  and  in  the  Senate  by  a 
majority  of  thirteen.  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  De  VVitt 
Clinton,  Samuel  Young,  Joseph  EUicott,  and  Myron  HoUey 
were  appointed  commissioners  under  this  act,  with  the  right 
to  select  engineers,  and  an  appropriation  of  $20,000  for  car- 
rying out  the  project,  so  far  as  surveys  and  other  preliminary 
arrangements  were  concerned — the  right  to  commence  the 
work  not  being  included  in  the  powers  granted  to  the  board. 

The  commissioners  adopted  immediate  measures  for  ef- 
fecting their  trust.  After  appointing  Mr.  Clinton  their  pres- 
ident, Mr.  Young  their  secretary,  and  Mr.  Holley  their 
treasurer,  they  divided  the  Erie  Canal  line  into  three  sec- 
tions— the  western,  middle,  and  eastern — the  first  extending 
from  the  lake  to  Seneca  River,  the  middle  from  thence  to 
Rome,  and  the  eastern  from  Rome  to  Albany.  Engineers 
were  appointed  for  each  section  ;  and  an  engineer  was  also 
appointed  to  survey  the  route  which  had  been  proposed  for 
the  canal  through  the  Tonnewanta  Valley,  on  the  south  side 
of  the  mountain  ridge.  This,  which  was  called  the  Tonne- 
wanta route,  was  preferred  by  Mr.  Ellicott,  in  his  letter  of 
July,  1808,  respecting  the  routes  proposed  between  the  Gen- 
esee and  Lake  Erie,  and  was  the  one  to  which  the  report  of 
Mr.  Geddes,  in  1809,  chiefly  referred  in  reference  to  the 
country  between  the  Genesee  and  Lake  Erie. 


214        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

The  Legislature  received,  in  1817,  a  report  from  the  com- 
missioners detailing  the  results  of  the  explorations  which 
had  been  made  by  some  members  of  the  board  in  connexion 
with  the  engineers  during  the  previous  season.  Connected 
with  the  profiles  and  maps,  some  estimates  were  submitted 
by  the  commissioners — the  cost  of  the  Northern  Canal  being 
stated  at  about  $900,000,  and  that  of  the  Western  at 
$5,000,000.  The  facts  that  the  canals  were  extended — 
that  stone  was  largely  substituted  for  wood — and  that  un- 
foreseen difficulties  occurred,  as  in  the  cutting  though  the 
mountain  ridge  at  Lockport,  &c.,  may  indicate  that  the 
increased  expense  of  the  works  should  not  reflect  discredit 
on  those  who  framed  these  estimates. 

But  the  refusal  of  aid  by  the  general  government  (the  pe- 
tition for  which,  drawn  by  De  Witt  CHnton,  was  presented 
in  Congress  by  Micah  Brooks),  and  the  hopelessness  of  as- 
sistance from  individual  states,  could  not  repress  the  ardour 
with  which  the  magnificent  schemes  of  internal  improve- 
ment were  regarded  by  a  large  portion  of  the  people  of  this 
state. 

The  law  of  April,  1817,  concerning  the  navigable  com- 
munications between  the  great  northern  and  western  lakes 
and  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  was  passed  by  large  majorities  in 
both  branches  of  the  Legislature.  This  act  authorized  the 
commencement  of  the  canals.  It  continued  the  former  com- 
missioners, and  empowered  them  to  open  the  communications 
between  the  Hudson  and  Lake  Champlain  ;  but,  as  regarded 
the  route  from  the  Hudson  to  Lake  Erie,  merely  authorized 
them  to  connect,  by  canals  and  locks,  the  Mohawk  and  Sen- 
eca Rivers. 

The  bill  became  a  law  nearly  as  Mr.  Clinton  draughted  it. 
It  included  a  system  of  finance,  and  provided  for  establishing 
a  board  of  "  Commissioners  of  the  Canal  Fund,"  with  duties 
indicated  by  the  name.  Means  were  provided  for  paying 
the  interest  on  loans,  and  discharging  the  debts  to  be  created. 
These  means  consisted  of  a  small  tax  on  salt  made  at  the 
springs  belonging  to  the  state,  a  tax  on  steamboat  passengers 
— the  proceeds  of  some  lotteries — part  of  the  duties  accru- 
ing from  sales  at  auction — donations  of  lands  from  compa- 
nies or  individuals  to  be  benefited  by  the  canals* — and  a 

*  Such  as  tracts  of  about  100,000  acres  from  the  Holland  Company, 
1000  acres  from  Gideon  Granger,  and  a  like  quantity  from  John  Greig, 
as  agent  of  the  Hornby  Estate,  &c. 


PROGRESS  or  IMPROVEMENT.         215 

tax  of  $250,000  to  be  levied  at  some  future  time  on  lands 
lying  within  twenty-five  miles  of  the  canals.  This  partial 
tax  was  imposed  upon  the  supposition  that  the  landholders 
along  the  lines  of  the  canals  would  be  particularly  benefited 
by  them  ;  but  no  attempt  was  ever  made  to  levy  such  a  tax, 
as  the  beneficial  influences  of  the  canals  were  too  widespread 
to  countenance  the  idea  that  any  local  taxation  should  be 
employed  for  raising  revenue  to  pay  for  works  which  have 
already  (with  the  aid  of  the  salt  tax  and  auction  duties) 
not  merely  discharged  the  debt  incurred  for  their  construc- 
tion, but  are  now  aiding  by  surplus  revenue  to  enlarge 
their  original  dimensions.  After  the  decision  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  Union  against  the  power  of  this  state 
to  give  Livingston  and  Fulton  the  exclusive  privilege  of  nav- 
igating its  waters  by  steam,  no  attempt  was  made  to  collect 
the  tax  on  steamboat  passengers — and  from  lotteries  no  as- 
sistance was  derived. 

The  final  establishment  of  the  Canal  Policy  by  the  passage 
of  the  law  for  commencing  the  improvements  was  attended 
by  some  circumstances  which  may  be  mentioned,  not  merely 
as  illustrative  of  the  subject  itself,  but  of  the  cordial  co-opera- 
tion of  the  most  prominent  of  our  statesmen  in  contributing  to 
the  glorious  result.  Some  of  the  friends  of  De  Witt  Clinton 
and  Martin  Van  Buren  may  be  gratified  with  a  sketch  of  the 
proceedings  at  that  critical  period  in  the  history  of  our  in- 
ternal improvements ;  and  therefore  do  we  quote  the  account 
furnished  by  Col.  Wm.  L.  Stone,  Editor  of  the  New- York 
Commercial  Advertiser — a  writer  well-known  as  a  friend  of 
Clinton  and  a  uniform  political  opponent  of  Van  Buren.  The 
account  was  written  by  Col.  Stone  in  1829,  for  insertion 
in  Hosack's  Memoir  of  Clinton,  and  runs  thus  : — 

The  Canal  Bill  having  passed  the  Assembly,  was  sent  to 
the  Senate  on  the  12th  April,  1817. 

"  On  Monday  the  14th,"  says  Col.  Stone,  "  the  discussion 
was  resumed,  when  Mr.  Elmendorf,  of  Ulster,  and  Mr.  Peter 
R.  Livingston,  of  Dutchess,  successively  spoke  at  length  in  op- 
position. Mr.  Tibbits  made  a  very  sound  and  judicious  speech 
in  reply,  and  was  followed  by  Mr.  Van  Buren,  late  Governor 
of  New-York,  and  now  Secretary  of  State,  also  in  favour  of 
the  bill.  This  was  Mr.  Van  Buren's  great  speech  of  the  ses- 
sion, and  it  was  indeed  a  masterly  effort.  I  took  notes  of 
the  whole  debate  at  the  time,  but  being  then  young  in  the 
business  of  reporting,  and  this  being  the  first  time  I  had  ever 
attempted  to  follow  Mr.  Van  Buren,  whose  utterance  is  too 


216        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

rapid  for  an  unpractised  pen,  and  whose  manner  was  on  that 
occasion  too  interesting  to  allow  a  reporter  to  keep  his  eyes 
upon  his  paper,  my  effort  was  little  more  than  a  failure.  At 
your  request,  however,  a  transcript  of  the  loose  notes  which 
were  preserved  is  here  inserted  : — 

"  '  Mr.  Van  Buren  said  he  must  trespass  upon  the  committee,  while 
he  stated  the  general  considerations  which  induced  him  to  give  his  vote 
for  the  bill.  It  was  a  subject  which  had  been  so  fully  discussed,  and 
upon  which  so  much  had  been  said,  that  he  should  deem  it  arrogance 
to  enlarge.  The  calculations  which  had  been  made  with  respect  to  the 
probable  expense  of  the  canal,  and  the  ways  and  means  for  raising  funds, 
were  fit  subjects  for  consideration.  But  to  do  this  he  deemed  himself  in- 
competent. He  must  place  great  confidence  upon  the  reports  of  the 
commissioners  upon  these  points.  Mr.  V.  B.  here  took  a  brief  review 
of  the  measures  adopted  at  the  last  session  of  the  legislature  in  relation 
to  the  canal,  when  a  bill,  similar  to  the  one  now  before  the  Senate,  was 
under  consideration,  and  stated  the  reasons  why  he  voted  against  the 
bill  at  that  time.  We  then  had  no  calculations  made  by  the  commission- 
ers so  minute  as  at  present.  Under  these  considerations,  he  conceived 
it  his  duty  at  the  last  session  to  move  the  rejection  of  the  whole  bill 
relating  to  the  commencement  of  the  canal.  It  was  done,  and  he  had 
the  satisfaction  to  find  that  most  gentlemen  have  since  united  with  him 
in  his  opinion.  Now  the  scene  is  entirely  changed.  We  at  that  time 
passed  a  law  appointing  new  commissioners,  and  applying  20,000  dollars 
to  enable  them  to  obtam  all  the  information  possible.  We  now  have 
the  information,  and  we  have  arrived  at  the  point  when,  if  this  bill  do 
not  pass,  the  project  must  for  many  years  be  abandoned.  His  convic- 
tions were,  that  it  is  for  the  honour  and  interest  of  the  state  to  com- 
mence the  work  at  once  ;  we  are  pledged  by  former  measures  to  do  it. 
Mr.  Van  Buren  here  reviewed  the  proceedings  of  former  legislatures  upon 
the  subject,  during  the  years  1810,  11,  12,  and  14,  when,  m  consequence 
of  the  war,  the  law  appropriating  five  millions  for  the  canal  was  repealed. 
He  proceeded  : — Since  that  period,  new  commissioners  have  been  ap- 
pointed, and  new  authority  given,  to  examine  the  route  for  the  canal, 
and  report  at  the  present  session  of  the  legislature.  A  law  authorizing 
the  commencement  of  the  work  has  passed  the  popular  branch  of  the 
legislature,  and  unless  we  have  the  clearest  convictions  that  the  project 
is  impracticable,  or  the  resources  of  our  state  insufficient,  you  must  not 
recede  from  the  measures  already  taken.  Are  we  satisfied  upon  these  two 
points  ■?  We  have  had  able,  competent  commissioners  to  report,  and 
they  have  laid  a  full  statement  before  us  ;  we  are  bound  to  receive 
these  reports  as  correct  evidence  upon  this  subject.  In  no  part  of  the 
business  have  we  looked  to  individual  states  or  to  the  United  States  for 
assistance  other  than  accidental  or  auxiliary.  Mr.  Van  Buren  here 
made  some  calculations  relative  to  the  funds.  'Lay  out  of  view,'  said 
he,  '  all  the  accidental  resources,  and  the  revenue  from  the  canal,  and 
in  completing  the  work  you  will  only  entail  upon  the  state  a  debt,  the 
interest  of  which  will  amount  to  but  about  300,000  dollars.'  He  then 
stated  the  amount  of  real  estate  within  the  state  now,  and  what  it  prob- 
ably would  be  if  the  canal  was  completed.  The  tax  would  not  amount 
to  more  than  one  mill  on  the  dollar  :  unless  the  report  of  commissioners 
is  a  tissue  of  fraud  or  misrepresentation,  this  tax  will  be  sufficient,  and 


PROGRESS   OF   IMPROVEMENT.  217 

more  than  sufficient,  to  complete  the  canal.  We  are  now  to  say  that 
all  our  former  proceedings  have  been  insincere,  or  we  must  go  on  with 
the  work.  The  people  in  the  districts  where  we  are  first  to  make  the 
canal  are  willing  and  able  to  be  subjected  to  the  expense  of  those  sec- 
tions. Mr.  Van  Buren  contended  that  the  duties  upon  salt  and  the 
auction  duties  were  a  certain  source  of  revenue,  and  that  these  two 
sources  of  revenue  would  be  abundant,  and  more  than  abundant,  for 
ever  to  discharge  the  interest  of  the  debt  to  be  created.  Ought  we, 
under  such  circumstances,  to  reject  this  bill  1  No,  sir  ;  for  one,  I  am 
willing  to  go  the  length  contemplated  by  the  bill.  The  canal  is  to  pro- 
mote the  interest  and  character  of  the  state  in  a  thousand  ways.  But 
we  are  told  that  the  people  cannot  bear  the  burden.  Sir,  I  assume  it 
as  a  fact,  that  the  people  have  already  consented  to  it.  For  six  years 
we  have  been  engaged  upon  this  business.  During  this  time  our  tables 
have  groaned  with  the  petitions  of  the  people  from  every  section  of  our 
country  in  favour  of  it ;  and  not  a  solitary  voice  has  been  raised  against 
it.  Mr.  V.  B.  said  he  had  seen  with  regret  the  divisions  that  have 
heretofore  existed  upon  this  subject,  apparently  arising  from  hostility  to 
the  commissioners.  Last  year  the  same  bill,  in  eflect,  passed  the  As- 
sembly, the  immediate  representatives  of  the  people  ;  and  this  year  it 
has  passed  again.  This  was  conclusive  evidence  that  the  people  have 
assented  to  it.  Little  can  be  done  by  the  commissioners,  other  than 
to  make  a  loan,  before  another  session.  The  money  cannot  be  lost — 
there  can  be  no  loss  at  six  per  cent.  We  have  now  all  the  information 
we  can  wish — we  must  make  up  our  minds  either  to  be  expending  large 
sums  in  legislation  year  after  year,  or  we  must  go  on  with  the  project. 
After  so  much  has  been  done  and  said  upon  this  subject,  it  would  be 
discreditable  to  the  state  to  abandon  it. 

"  '  He  considered  it  the  most  important  vote  he  ever  gave  in  his  life 
— but  the  project,  if  executed,  would  raise  the  state  to  the  highest  pos- 
sible pitch  of  fame  and  grandeur.  He  repeated  that  we  were  bound  to 
consider  that  the  people  had  given  their  consent.  Twelve  thousand 
men  of  wealth  and  respectability  in  the  city  of  New- York  last  year 
petitioned  for  the  canal ;  and,  at  all  events,  before  the  operations  would 
be  commenced,  the  people,  if  opposed  to  the  measure,  would  have  ample 
time  to  express  their  will  upon  the  subject.' 

"  When  Mr.  Van  Buren  resumed  his  seat,  Mr.  Clinton* 
who  had  been  an  attentive  Hstener  in  the  Senate  chamber, 
breaking  through  that  reserve  which  political  collisions  had 
created,  approached  him  and  expressed  his  thanks  for  his 
exertions  in  the  most  flattering  terms."        *  *  * 

"  Messrs.  Livingston,  Elmendorf,  and  Ogden  of  Delaware, 
severally  spoke  in  reply ;  but  when  the  main  question  on 
the  enacting  clause  was  taken,  it  was  carried  in  the  affirma- 
tive, 21  to  8.  In  the  course  of  this  day's  sitting  a  very 
important  motion  was  made  by  Mr.  Van  Buren  with  suc- 
cess. The  bill,  as  it  passed  the  assembly,  authorized  the 
loans  to  be  made  on  the  canal  fund  only ;  and  that  was 
the  best  form  in  which  it  could,  in  the  first  instance,  be 
19 


218        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC, 

passed  in  that  body.  The  vital  importance  of  extending  the 
security  was  at  that  time  fully  appreciated  by  the  friends  of 
the  canal,  and  has  been  amply  confirmed  by  experience. 
This  amendment  was  adopted  by  a  vote  of  16  to  11.  Sev- 
eral other  amendments  were  made  to  the  bill  by  the  Senate, 
but  there  was  none  of  sufficient  importance  to  require  a 
specification  here.  Some  of  these  amendments  were  con- 
curred in  by  the  assembly,  among  which  was  the  important 
one  mentioned  above  ;  and  from  others  the  senate  receded. 
The  result  was,  that  the  bill  was  successfully  carried  through 
both  houses  in  the  course  of  the  evening  session  of  the  same 
day,  and  sent  to  the  Council  of  Revision.  It  became  a  law 
on  the  following  day,  viz.,  the  15lh  of  April.*  Under  this 
act,  the  first  meeting  of  the  commissioners  to  receive  propo- 
sals and  make  contracts  preparatory  to  the  actual  com- 
mencement of  the  work,  was  held  at  Utica  on  the  3d  of 
June,  1817.  Colonel  Young  and  Mr.  Holley  remained  to 
take  charge  of  the  commencement  of  the  work  upon  the  mid- 
dle section,  which  it  was  wisely  resolved  should  be  first 
completed." 

"  The  next  important  period  in  the  legislative  history  of 
the  canals,"  says  Colonel  Stone,  "  was  the  session  of  1819. 

*  "  For  the  passage  of  this  bill  through  the  Senate,  much  is  due  to 
the  efforts  of  Mr.  Van  Buren,"  says  Gordon,  in  his  late  excellent  Gaz- 
etteer of  the  State  of  New-York.  "  But  this  consummation  of  the 
commencement  was  not  attained  without  difficulty.  The  friends  of  the 
canal  had  to  contend  with  the  doubts  and  fears  of  many  sensible  and 
prudent  men  ;  with  conflicting  local  interests,  and  with  the  political 
cabals  and  personal  hostility  to  Mr.  Clinton,  '  who  had  boldly  identified 
himself  with  the  canal,  and  staked  his  public  character  on  the  issue.' 
To  the  incessant  labour,  unremitting  energy,  and  inflexible  resolution 
of  this  great  man,  the  final  success  of  the  enterprise  is  universally  as- 
cribed. The  leadmg  advocates  of  the  canal  were  objects  of  ridicule 
throughout  the  United  States  ;  and  hallucination  was  the  mildest  epithet 
applied  to  them." — Gazetteer,  p.  74.  Even  Mr.  Jefferson,  in  a  letter 
in  1822,  admitted  that  in  1809  he  considered  that  the  project  of  the 
Erie  Canal  was  started  a  century  too  soon  for  the  ability  of  the  state, 
though  it  is  due  to  truth  to  state  that  the  impulse  given  to  the  spirit  of 
improvement  by  his  own  course  as  president  at  that  time  contributed 
essentially  to  the  advancement  of  the  project  by  arousing  wide-spread 
attention  to  such  works,  "  not  only  for  strengthening  the  Union,  but  for 
promoting  our  independence  of  foreign  nations,  by  calling  out  the  na- 
tive riches  and  resources  of  our  country." — Hosack^s  Clinton,  p.  .S57. 
It  is  worthy  of  passing  notice  that  Jesse  Hawley  and  Joshua  Forman 
acknowledge  that  their  attention  was  excited  to  the  subject  of  the  Erie 
Canal  by  the  general  spirit  breathed  through  Jefferson's  messages  in 
favour  of  internal  improvement. 


PROGRESS    OF    IMPROVEMENT.  219 

The  work  on  the  middle  section  had  been  prosecuted  with 
such  vigour  and  success,  that  the  canal  commissioners  felt 
justified  in  recommending  the  necessary  appropriations  for 
completing  the  whole.  A  bill  for  this  purpose  passed  the 
assembly  ;  but  it  met  with  much  opposition  in  the  Senate, 
and  several  attempts  were  made  to  defeat  it  by  motions  to 
strike  out,  first,  that  part  which  authorized  the  construction 
of  the  ivestern  section ;  and,  secondly,  that  which,  in  like 
manner,  authorized  the  construction  of  the  eastern  section, 
from  Utica  to  the  Hudson  River.  I  believe  it  may  be  truly 
said  of  Mr.  Van  Buren  and  Colonel  Young,  that  it  was  to 
their  unwearied  exertions  mainly  that  the  attempts  made 
at  this  time  to  cripple  the  bill  were  defeated." 

From  the  statements  of  Colonel  Stone  we  turn  now  to  a 
communication  from  a  citizen  whom  none  can  intimately 
know  without  warmly  esteeming.  The  statement  of  Myron 
Holley,  which  we  are  thus  enabled  to  present,  is  closely 
connected  with  a  most  interesting  period  of  the  history  of 
Western  New-York.  It  develops  the  means  which  Mr. 
Holley  employed  in  his  capacity  of  commissioner  to  thwart 
the  hostility  to  the  canal  which  Mr.  Van  Buren  boldly  and 
successfully  struggled  against  in  the  Senate.  Mr.  Holley 
now  resides  in  the  city  whereat  this  letter  is  dated. 

"Rochester,  18th  December,  1837. 
"  Henry  O'Reilly,  Esq. 

"Dear  Sir — Your  inquiries  relative  to  the  facts  con- 
nected with  the  commencement  of  the  construction  of  the 
Erie  Canal  west  of  the  Seneca  River  I  will  now  proceed  to 
answer. 

"  From  the  beginning  of  our  great  system  of  canal  im- 
provements, a  strong  party  existed  in  the  state  who  fa- 
voured the  project  of  passing  from  the  middle  section  to 
Lake  Erie  by  way  of  Oswego  and  a  lateral  cut  around  the 
Falls  of  Niagara.  This  party  offered  no  strenuous  resist- 
ance to  the  opening  of  the  canal  from  the  Rome  Summit  to 
Montezuma  ;  but,  after  that  portion  of  the  line  was  contracted 
for  and  nearly  finished,  exerted  itself  with  ingenuity  and 
perseverance  to  accomplish  its  object.  Its  views  required 
that  the  canal  commissioners  should  be  restrained  by  the 
Legislature  from  making  contracts  for  work  on  the  line  west 
of  the  middle  section.     It  was  in  the  winter  of  1820  that  the 


220  SKETCHES    OP    ROCHESTER,  ETC 

crisis  arrived  between  the  party  in  question  and  the  friends 
of  the  inland  route. 

"  At  a  late  day  of  the  session  of  the  Legislature  of  the 
preceding  winter  authority  had  been  given  to  the  commis- 
sioners to  extend  their  operations  over  the  entire  lines  not 
previously  surveyed  and  let  out,  of  both  the  Erie  and  Cham- 
plain  Canals,  under  a  limited  but  liberal  appropriation. 
This  extension  of  authority  had  been  earnestly  opposed,  but 
not  very  vigorously  ;  because  full  concert  of  action  had  not 
been  secured  between  the  opponents  of  the  whole  canal 
policy  and  the  friends  of  the  Oswego  route ;  and  because  it 
was  deemed  impracticable  by  the  public  for  the  commis- 
sioners, during  the  season  next  after  it  was  granted,  to  do 
much  more  than  complete  the  middle  section  and  make 
some  preliminary  surveys  on  the  other  sections. 

"  At  this  time  Mr.  Seymour  and  myself  were  acting  com- 
missioners on  the  Erie  Canal.  Early  in  the  season  we  di- 
rected Engineer  White  to  enter  upon  the  surveys  between 
the  Seneca  and  Genesee  Rivers.  The  facts  previously  un- 
derstood, with  the  knowledge  soon  acquired  by  Mr.  White, 
left  no  room  for  doubt  or  hesitation  as  to  the  general  location 
of  the  line  between  Montezuma  and  Rochester;  and  this 
latter  place  was  perceived  to  be  a  necessary  point  on  the  line. 

"  Under  these  circumstances,  and  with  a  special  reference 
to  the  approaching  crisis  in  legislative  action,  in  July  I  di- 
rected Mr.  White  to  proceed  to  Rochester  and  ascertain 
carefully  where  the  Genesee  could  best  be  crossed,  and 
thence  to  lay  out  the  line  easterly  as  far  as  he  could,  mark- 
ing its  dimensions  by  stakes,  and  dividing  it  into  suitable 
sections  for  actual  contract.  To  these  directions  he  indus- 
triously conformed. 

"  In  October,  1819,  the  canal  commissioners  held  a  meet- 
ing at  Utica.  Well  aware  of  the  progress  of  Mr.  White,  I 
moved  the  board  at  that  meeting  to  pass  a  resolution  that  all 
the  line  east  from  Rochester,  located  and  prepared,  should 
be,  as  soon  as  practicable,  let  out  to  contractors  and  put  in 
the  course  of  actual  construction.  This  motion  was  resisted 
by  Mr.  Seymour,  but  was  adopted  by  the  votes  of  Messrs. 
Clinton,  Van  Rensselaer,  and  myself — Mr.  Young  not  being 
present. 

"  Under  this  resolution  about  twenty-six  miles  of  canal, 
from  Rochester  to  near  Palmyra,  were  let  out  previous  y  to 
the  meeting  of  the  Legislature,  and  a  large  amount  of  money 
justly  earned  upon  them. 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.  221 

*'In  January,  1820,  the  Legislature  met.  It  soon  ap- 
peared that  the  friends  of  the  Oswego  route  were  determined 
to  prosecute  their  views  with  increased  zeal  and  pertinacity. 
Both  in  the  Legislature  and  out  of  it  they  were  numerous 
and  active.  An  intelligent  canal  committee  was  raised  in 
the  Assembly,  with  Geo.  Huntington,  of  Oneida  county,  for 
its  chairman  ;  and  to  them  were  referred  the  canal  interests 
for  that  branch  of  the  Legislature. 

"  The  doubters  and  opposers  of  the  canal  policy  had  early 
proposed  to  levy  a  local  tax,  from  the  vicinity  of  the  line 
adopted,  to  assist  in  defraying  the  cost  of  the  works.  A 
resolution  in  favour  of  this  proposition  was  introduced,  and 
referred  to  the  committee.  But  the  great  measure  of  the 
friends  of  the  Oswego  route  was  a  resolution  introduced  to 
confine  all  canal  expenditures  to  the  eastern  section  of  the 
Erie  Canal  and  the  Champlain  Canal,  till  they  should  both 
be  completed.  This  resolution  was  also  referred  to  the  canal 
committee. 

"The  adoption  of  this  last  resolution  by  the  Legislature, 
it  was  plain,  would  constitute  an  essential  modification  of  the 
state  policy.  The  subscriber  was  thoroughly  persuaded  that 
such  a  modification  would  be  vitally  mischievous,  and  la- 
boured with  much  zeal  to  avert  it.  The  committee  requested 
the  views  of  the  canal  commissioners  on  the  two  resolutions. 
In  answer  to  this  request,  a  letter  was  drawn  up  by  me,  with 
great  labour  of  inquiry  and  anxious  consideration,  and  sub- 
mitted to  the  board.  A  majority  of  the  board  approved  it, 
signed  it,  and  sent  it  to  the  committee — Messrs.  Young  and 
Seymour  withheld  their  sanction  from  it.  The  committee 
reported  so  far  in  favour  of  the  views  presented  in  the  letter 
as  to  advise  against  interfering  with  the  plans  of  the  com- 
missioners. Their  report  was  opposed  with  much  warmth 
and  persistency,  but  prevailed,  and  the  Legislature  upheld 
the  policy,  which  led  to  the  speedy  completion  of  the  canals, 
and  has  already  issued  so  happily  for  the  interests  and 
honour  of  the  state.     With  much  respect, 

"Your  ob't.  servant, 

"Myron  Holley." 

The  incertitude  which  prevailed  even  at  this  period  re- 
specting the  location  of  the  canal  route  between  Genesee 
River  and  Lake  Erie  may  be  inferred  from  the  language  of 
the  commissioners  in  their  report  of  1820  : — 
19* 


222        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

"  Valentine  Gill,  Esq.,  has  been  employed  as  an  engineer, 
with  the  necessary  assistants,  lo  explore  the  country,  in  ref- 
erence to  the  best  establishment  of  the  canal  line  from  Gan- 
net's  Millpoiid  in  Palmyra,  with  which  the  old  level  was 
connected,  westerly  to  the  Genesee  River,  at  a  point  about 
twelve  miles  south  of  Rochester,  and  thence  westerly  to  Buf- 
falo Creek.  The  easterly  part  of  Mr.  Gill's  line  has  been 
rejected  in  favour  of  the  more  northerly  route  ;  but  he  thinks 
that  a  line  from  Rochester  may  be  run  southwesterly  so  as 
to  intersect  with  his  line  west  of  the  Genesee  River,  and 
from  the  point  of  intersection  be  carried  through  the  counties 
of  Genesee  and  Niagara  to  a  junction  with  the  waters  of  Lake 
Erie,  south  of  BuHalo.  The  great  objection  to  a  southern 
route  through  the  Holland  Purchase  is  the  fear  of  a  deficiency 
of  water  to  supply  it,  as  such  route  must  necessarily  be  car- 
ried far  above  the  level  of  Lake  Erie.  Mr.  Gill's  summit 
level  is  about  ninety-four  feet  above  Lake  Erie ;  but  he  is 
of  opinion  that  it  may  be  extended  more  than  forty  miles,  so 
as  to  embrace  the  waters  of  Wescoy,  of  Allen's,  of  Tonne- 
wanta,  of  EUicott's,  and  of  Little  Buffalo  Creeks,  which,  he 
thinks,  in  the  driest  season  would  furnish  a  copious  supply. 
In  a  country  so  new,  and  of  which  a  great  part  is  still  cov- 
ered by  standing  timber,  the  interests  of  the  canal  require 
that  great  precaution  should  be  taken  in  the  definitive  estab- 
lishment of  the  canal  line.  It  will  be  proper  that  other  ex- 
aminations should  be  prosecuted  throughout  the  country  west 
of  the  Genesee  River  previous  to  a  final  decision  of  the 
route." 

But  the  commissioners  soon  after  decided  in  favour  of  the 
northern  route  between  the  Genesee  and  Lake  Erie — the 
uncertainty  as  to  the  sufficiency  of  water  on  the  summit  level 
counterbalancing  the  advantages  offered  by  the  Tonnewanta 
Valley — while  the  cutting  through  the  mountain  ridge  at 
Lockport,  expensive  as  was  the  task,  found  an  offset  in  the 
advantage  of  being  able  to  supply  water  through  that  route 
from  the  lake  as  far  eastward  as  the  Cayuga  Marshes. 
This  was  the  course  originally  suggested  by  Jesse  Hawley. 

The  middle  section,  from  Utica  to  Seneca  River  (which 
was  very  prudently  commenced  first,  as  the  facility  of  con- 
struction thereupon  encouraged  the  people  to  undertake  the 
more  difficult  sections  east  and  west),  was  rendered  navigable 
in  October,  1819.  Operations  on  the  other  two  sections 
were  commenced  simultaneously,  as  stated  in  the  preceding 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.         223 

letter  of  MjTon  Holley.  In  1819-20,  forty-three  miles  of  the 
western  section,  chieily  east  of  the  Genesee,  and  twenty-six 
miles  of  the  eastern  section  were  let  to  contractors.  Early 
in  1821  the  remainder  of  the  eastern  and  the  principal  por- 
tion of  the  western  (from  the  Genesee  to  the  Tonnewanta) 
were  put  under  contract.  Parts  of  the  western  and  eastern 
sections  were  so  far  completed  in  1821  as  to  permit  the  pas- 
sage of  boats  from  the  east  side  of  the  Genesee  in  Rochester 
as  far  eastward  as  Little  Falls  on  the  Mohawk.  In  No- 
vember, 1823,  boats  from  Rochester  entered  the  basin  at 
Albany,  along  with  the  first  boats  that  passed  through  the 
Champlain  Canal,  then  just  completed. 

The  western  section  from  Buffalo  to  Montezuma  is  158 
miles  long,  having  21  locks  and  106  feet  fall;  the  middle, 
from  Montezuma  to  Utica,  is  96  miles  long,  with  11  locks, 
and  95  feet  rise  and  fall ;  the  eastern,  from  Utica  to  Albany, 
is  110  miles  long,  with  84  locks  and  417  feet  fall.  The 
level  of  the  junction  of  the  Erie  and  Champlain  Canals  near 
Albany  is  44  feet  above  tide — the  Schenectady  level,  226 — 
the  Utica  level,  425 — Montezuma  level,  370 — Rochester, 
506 — Lockport  level,  565. 

Such  was  the  speed  with  which  the  canals  were  con- 
structed, notwithstanding  all  the  difficulties  necessarily  en- 
countered, that,  within  eight  years  and  four  months  from  the 
commencement  made  on  the  middle  section  at  Rome  on  the 
4th  of  July,  1817,  the  whole  line  from  Buffalo  to  Albany  was 
navigated  by  the  flotilla  that  left  Lake  Erie  to  participate  in 
the  festivities  which  were  closed  with  the  "  Grand  Canal 
Celebration"  at  New-York  on  the  4th  of  November,  1824. 
Governor  Clinton,  the  canal  commissioners,  and  other  well- 
known  individuals,  proceeded  with  the  fleet  on  this  interest- 
ing occasion  ;  and  demonstrations  along  the  whole  route 
(especially  at  Rochester,  Lockport,  Palmyra,  Lyons,  Syra- 
cuse, and  Utica)  testified  the  enthusiastic  feelings  which 
pervaded  the  people  on  beholding  the  happy  consummation 
of  works  which  very  many  who  saw  the  commencement 
expected  not  to  see  completed  within  their  lifetime.  A 
committee,  of  which  Jesse  Hawley  was  chairman,  repre- 
sented the  people  of  Rochester  at  the  incipient  festivities 
in  Bufi'alo,  where  a  spirited  celebration  occurred  as  the  flo- 
tilla of  boats  commenced  the  triumphal  voyage  for  the  har- 
bour of  New- York  and  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic.  On  that 
occasion  Mr.  Hawley  delivered  an  address,  "  brief  and  pe- 


224  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

culiarly  appropriate,"  says  Colonel  Stone,  "  in  behalf  of  the 
citizens  of  Rochester."  He  said  he  was  deputed  "  to  min- 
gle and  reciprocate  their  mutual  congratulations  with  the 
citizens  of  Buffalo  on  this  grand  epoch."  The  canal,  as  a 
matter  of  state  pride,  was  spoken  of  with  much  felicity — "A 
work  that  will  constitute  the  lever  of  industry,  population, 
and  wealth  to  our  republic — a  pattern  for  our  sister  states  to 
imitate — an  exhibition  to  the  world  of  the  moral  force  of  a 
free  and  enlightened  people."  At  the  conclusion  of  his  re- 
marks, Mr.  Hawley  rendered  tribute  to  the  "  projectors  who 
devised,  the  statesmen  who  assumed  the  responsibility  of  the 
undertaking  at  the  hazard  of  tl)eir  reputation,  the  legislators 
who  granted  the  supplies,  the  commissioners  who  planned, 
the  engineers  who  laid  out,  and  the  men  who  executed  this 
magnificent  work."  An  appropriate  reply  was  made  by 
Oliver  Forward  on  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Buffalo. 

An  account  of  the  scene  presented  at  Rochester  as  the 
flotilla  passed  eastward  is  thus  given  in  the  narrative  of  the 
canal  celebration,  prepared  by  Colonel  Stone  at  the  request 
of  the  New- York  corporation  : 

"At  Rochester,  too,  a  rich  and  beautiful  town,  which, 
disdaining,  as  it  were,  the  intermediate  grade  of  a  village, 
has  sprung  from  a  hamlet  to  the  full-grown  size,  wealth,  and 
importance  of  a  city,  the  interesting  period  was  celebrated 
in  a  manner  equally  creditable  to  the  country  and  occasion. 
There  was  considerable  rain  at  Rochester  on  the  day  of  the 
celebration  ;  yet  such  was  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people, 
that  at  two  o'clock  eight  handsome  uniform  companies  were 
in  arms,  and  an  immense  concourse  of  people  had  assem- 
bled. The  companies  were  formed  in  line  upon  the  canal, 
and  on  the  approach  of  the  procession  of  boats  from  the 
West  commenced  firing  z.feu  de  joie,  which  was  continued 
until  they  arrived  at  the  Aqueduct,*  where  the  boat  called  the 
'  Young  Lion  of  the  West'  was  stationed  to  '  protect  the 
entrance.'  The  Pioneer  boat  was  hailed  from  the  Young 
Lion,  and  the  following  dialogue  ensued : 

*  "  After  descending  the  celebrated  locks  at  Lockport,  the  canal 
takes  an  easterly  direction,  about  one  to  three  miles  south  of  the  Allu- 
vial Way,  or  Ridge  Road,  with  the  descent  of  a  half  inch  in  each  mile 
to  the  Genesee  River  at  Rochester — sixty-three  miles  ;  in  this  distance 
it  passes  over  several  aqueducts  and  deep  ravines,  and  arriving  at  the 
Genesee,  crosses  over  that  river  in  a  stone  aqueduct  of  nine  arches, 
each  of  fifty  feet  span,  and  two  other  arches  and  aqueducts  of  forty  feet 
each,  one  on  each  side  of  the  river,  over  the  Mill  Canals." 


PROGRESS  OP  IMPROVEMENT.  225 

*'  Question.  Who  comes  there  1 

"  Answer.  Your  brothers  from  the  West  on  the  waters 
of  the  great  lakes. 

"  Q.  By  what  means  have  they  been  diverted  so  far 
from  their  natural  course  ? 

''  A.  By  the  channel  of  the  Grand  Erie  Canal. 

"  Q.  By  whose  authority,  and  by  whom,  was  a  work  of 
such  magnitude  accomplished  ? 

"  A.  By  the  authority  and  by  the  enterprise  of  the  patri- 
otic people  of  the  State  of  New- York. 

"  Here  the  '  Young  Lion'  gave  way,  and  '  the  brethren 
from  the  West'  were  permitted  to  enter  Child's  basin  at 
the  end  of  the  aqueduct.  The  Rochester  and  Canandai- 
gua  Committees  of  Congratulation  then  took  their  places 
under  an  arch  surmounted  by  an  eagle,  and  the  Seneca  Chief, 
having  the  committees  on  board,  being  moored,  General 
Vincent  Mattliews  and  the  Hon.  John  C.  Spencer  ascended 
the  deck  and  offered  to  the  governor  the  congratulaliDUS  of 
the  citizens  of  their  respective  villages,  to  which  an  animated 
and  cordial  reply  was  given.  The  gentlemen  from  the  West 
then  disembarked,  and  a  procession  was  formed,  which  re- 
paired to  the  Presbyterian  Church,  where  an  appropriate 
prayer  was  made  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Penney  and  an  address 
pronounced  by  Timothy  Childs,  Esq.  The  address  of  Mr. 
Childs  was  an  able  and  eloquent  performance,  clothed  with 
'  words  that  breathe  and  thoughts  that  burn.'  It  was  lis- 
tened to  witli  almost  breathless  silence,  and  greeted  at  its 
close  with  three  rounds  of  animated  applause.  After  the 
address,  the  company  repaired  to  Christopher's  Mansion 
House,  partook  of  a  good  dinner,  and  drunk  a  set  of  excel- 
lent toasts.  General  Matthews  presided,  assisted  by  Jes- 
se Hawley  and  Jonathan  Child,  Esqrs.  At  half  past 
seven,  the  time  fixed  for  the  departure  of  the  guests,  the 
company  reluctantly  rose  from  a  board  where  the  most  gen- 
erous sentiments  were  given  and  received  with  unsurpassed 
enthusiasm,  and  the  governor  and  tlie  several  committees 
were  escorted  to  the  basin,  and  embarked  amid  the  congrat- 
ulations of  their  fellow-citizens.  The  celebration  was  con- 
cluded with  a  grand  ball  and  a  general  illumination  ;  and 
nothing  occurred  to  mar  the  pleasure  of  the  day.  The  fol- 
lowing gentlemen  embarked  in  the  '  Young  Lion  of  the 
West'  as  a  Committee  for  New- York,  viz.  :  Elisha  B. 
Strong,  Levi  Ward,  A.  V.  T.  Leavett,  Wm.  B.  Rochester, 


226  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

M.  Hulbert,  A.  Reynolds,  A.  Strong, R.  Beach,  E.  Johnson, 
and  E.  S.  Beach,  Esquires." 

Having  devoted  considerable  space  to  the  "projectors, 
statesmen,  and  legislators"  who  aided  in  the  great  enterprise, 
we  cannot  pass  without  naming  the  "commissioners  who 
planned  and  the  engineers  who  laid  out"  the  magnificent 
work.  The  acting  commissioners  during  the  construction 
of  the  Erie  and  Champlain  Canals  were  Myron  Holley, 
Samuel  Young,  Henry  Seymour,  Truman  Hart,  and  William 
C.  Bouck.  Mr.  Hart  had  been  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy- 
occasioned  by  the  resignation  of  Joseph  Eilicott  in  1818; 
and  Mr.  Seymour  was  afterward  appointed  in  lieu  of  Mr. 
Hart.  Mr.  Bouck  was  substituted  for  De  Witt  Clinton,  when 
the  latter  (through  an  error  whicli  may  furnish  useful  lessons 
to  the  politician)  was  removed  from  the  station  of  commis- 
sioner. Col.  Young  had  charge  of  the  Champlain  Canal. 
The  three  sections  into  which  the  Erie  Canal  was  divided 
were  -issigned  to  different  commissioners.  De  Witt  Clinton 
and  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer  were  not  what  is  termed 
"  acting"  commissioners,  though  they  rendered  much  service 
gratuitously.  The  acting  commissioners,  who  were  steadily 
employed  in  the  business,  and  who  performed  considerable 
service  properly  belonging  to  engineers,  were  allowed  $2000 
per  annum. 

The  engineers  on  the  Erie  Canal  were  Benj.  Wright, 
J.  Geddes,  Canvass  White,  David  Thomas,  Nathan  S. 
Roberts,  David  S.  Bates,  Chas.  C.  Broadhead,  Valentine 
Gill,  and  Isaac  Briggs.  Mr.  Roberts,  Mr.  Bates,  and  Mr. 
Gill  are  now  residents  of  Rochester.  On  the  Champlain 
Canal,  Lewis  Garin  was  engineer  for  a  short  time,  but  Wil- 
liam Jerome  took  charge  in  that  capacity  in  1820.  The 
state  may  well  pride  itself  on  the  practical  talent  exhibited 
by  this  corps  of  engineers,  almost  self-taught  in  canalling. 
The  perfection  of  their  work  is  the  highest  eulogy  on  their 
scientific  character. 

The  report  of  the  canal  board  in  1826  stated  that  the 
whole  expense  of  constructing  the  Erie  and  Champlain  Ca- 
nals, including  interest  upon  loans,  was  $10,731,594.  The 
anticipation  expressed  that  tlie  amount  of  the  then  outstand- 
ing debt  (about  seven  and  three  quarter  millions,  payable  in 
1837  and  1845)  could  be  fully  discharged  in  ten  years  from 
that  date,  has  been  happily  realized,  as  sufficient  funds  for 
the  purpose  were  accumulated  in  1836,  notwithstanding  the 


PROGRESS    or    IMPROVEMENT.  227 

reduction  of  tolls  and  salt  duties,  and  the  unexpected  heavi- 
ness of  the  charges  for  repairs. 

The  effects  of  cheapening  transportation  are  signally  il- 
lustrated in  the  history  of  the  Erie  Canal,  and  form  strong 
arguments  in  furtherance  of  the  enlargement  of  that  ca- 
nal— the  increased  volume  of  water  being  calculated  to  per- 
mit the  passage  of  boats  with  double  or  treble  the  present 
tonnage,  without  materially  increasing  the  cost  of  traction  or 
management  in  those  vessels.  The  canal  commissioners, 
in  their  reports  to  the  Legislature,  have  calculated  that  a 
reduction  of  at  least  fifty  per  cent,  in  the  rate  of  transporta- 
tion would  immediately  follow  the  enlargement.  The  ex- 
amples cited  by  the  commissioners  in  sustenance  of  the  pol- 
icy of  reducing  lolls  to  the  lowest  practicable  point  are 
worthy  of  particular  attention  in  connexion  with  the  history 
of  our  internal  improvements  : 

"  A  reduction  in  the  rates  of  toll  might  be  desirable  from 
its  beneficial  influence  upon  trade,"  say  the  commissioners, 
"  even  though  the  revenues  of  the  state  should  be  diminished 
by  the  operation.  The  revenue  from  tolls  is  a  minor  inter- 
est when  compared  with  the  twenty  millions  in  value  of  pro- 
ducts coming  to  market,  the  sale  of  20  or  30  millions  of 
merchandise,  and  the  benefit  derived  from  the  transportation 
of  this  property  upon  the  river,  the  canals,  and  the  lakes. 
Notwithstanding  the  great  reduction  in  the  rates  of  toll  here- 
tofore made,  the  aggregate  amount  of  revenue  from  the  ca- 
nals, for  three  years  since  the  reduction  commenced,  ex- 
ceeds the  amount  received  for  three  years  at  the  old  rates 
by  more  than  a  million  of  dollars."  The  amount  of  tolls 
on  the  Erie  and  Champlain  Canals  for  1830-31-32,  at  the 
old  rates,  formed  a  total  of  $3,185,469.  In  1833-34-35, 
at  the  reduced  rates,  the  product  of  toll  on  those  canals  was 
$4,209,604. 

"  The  beneficial  effects  on  revenue  as  well  as  trade  of 
cheapening  transportation  may  be  illustrated  by  a  few  ex- 
amples. Previous  to  1827,  the  toll  on  tobacco  prevented 
its  transportation  through  the  Erie  Canal  ;  in  that  year  the 
toll  was  reduced  to  the  constitutional  minimum.  For  1828, 
there  are  no  tables  showing  the  quantity  of  tobacco  coming 
to  market  from  the  west;  but  in  1829  there  came  to  tide 
water  32  tons — in  1830,  62  tons— in  1831,  222  tons — in 
1832,  386  tons— in  1833,  535  tons— in  1834,  1009  tons— 
and  in  1835,  1750  tons. 


228        SKETCHES  or  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

"In  1829,  the  toll  on  copperas  was  reduced  to  the  con- 
stitutional minimum,  on  a  representation  that  the  quantity 
produced  in  Vermont,  which  had  previously  been  carried  to 
Boston  by  land,  would  by  such  reduction  be  transported  to 
New- York  through  the  Champlain  Canal.  During  the  first 
season  after  the  reduction,  110  tons  of  copperas  were  cleared 
at  Whitehall,  and  this  quantity  has  increased  from  year  to 
year,  until,  in  1835,  the  quantity  cleared  was  693  tons. 

"  In  1829,  on  a  petition  from  the  millers  of  Rochester,  the 
toll  on  bran  and  ship  stufT  was  reduced  50  per  cent.  ;  the 
result  of  which  has  been  that  the  season  after  the  reduction 
was  made,  590  tons  came  to  tide  water,  and  during  1835, 
3592  tons  were  transported  on  the  canals,  being  worth  in 
market  $86,348. 

"  In  the  spring  of  1833,  the  Ohio  Canal  was  opened  from 
Cleveland  to  the  Ohio  River,  and  in  the  anticipation  of  this 
event  the  canal  board  made  a  general  reduction  in  the  rates 
of  toll  equal  to  an  average  of  20  per  cent,  on  all  commodities. 
And  in  the  summer  of  1833  a  meeting  was  held  between  a 
committee  of  the  Ohio  Canal  commissioners  and  our  canal 
board,  at  which  it  was  agreed  to  reduce  the  tolls  on  merchan- 
dise on  the  New-York  and  Ohio  Canals  25  per  cent.,  the 
reduction  to  take  efTect  in  1834.  This  arrangement  was 
carried  into  efiect  by  both  parties.  The  reduction  on  the 
New- York  canals  in  the  two  years  referred  to,  on  all  arti- 
cles coming  from  or  going  to  the  Western  states,  was  equal 
to  35|  per  cent.  These  reductions  were  made  with  a  view 
of  enabling  our  merchants  to  send  their  goods  through  the 
New-York  and  Ohio  Canals  into  the  valleys  of  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi ;  a  region  from  which  they  had  been  excluded 
through  the  route  of  the  Erie  Canal  previous  to  the  opening 
of  the  Ohio  Canal.  The  tables  now  presented,  exhibiting 
the  quantity  of  merchandise  sent  to  other  states,  show  the 
success  which  has  attended  these  efTorts.  Of  the  goods 
sent  to  Ohio,  large  quantities  reach  Cincinnati,  Louisville, 
and  other  points  on  the  Ohio  River,  and  limited  quantities 
are  sent  to  Missouri,  Tennessee,  and  Alabama. 

"  During  the  last  three  years  goods  have  been  sent  by  the 
route  of  the  Erie  Canal  to  Huntsville,  in  the  state  of  Ala- 
bama.    The  distance  from  the  City  of  New-York  to  Hunts- 
ville is  as  follows,  viz. : 
From  New- York  to  Albany,  on  the  river,      .         150  miles 

"     Albany  to  Buffalo,  by  canal,       .         .         363 


PROGRESS    OF   IMPROVEMENT.  229 

From  BufFalo  to  Cleveland,  by  lake,    .         .  200  miles 

-    "     Cleveland  to  Portsmouth,  by  canal,     .  309 
:    "     Portsmouth    to    Cincinnati,   by   Ohio 

River, 113 

"     Cincinnati    to    mouth   of   Tennessee 

River, 500 

"     Up  Tennessee  River  to  Florence,        .  300 

"     Florence  to  Huntsville,  by  land,          .  75 

2010  miles 
"  Of  this  distance  672  miles  are  canal  navigation,  on 
which  the  transportation  can  be  essentially  cheapened  ;  1. 
By  a  reduction  of  tolls  ;  and,  2.  By  enlarging  and  improving 
the  canals.  The  improvement  of  the  Erie  Canal,  it  is  esti- 
mated, will  diminish  the  cost  of  transportation  on  it  50  per 
cent.  ;  and  it  is  quite  probable  that  a  reduction  of  50  per 
cent,  in  the  rates  of  toll  would  produce  such  an  increase  of 
business  as  not  essentially  to  diminish  the  revenues  of  the 
canals." 

The  reduction  of  charges  which  would  accompany  the  in- 
creased facilities  for  transportation  afforded  by  an  enlarge- 
ment of  the  Erie  Canal — a  reduction  equal  to  at  least  fifty 
per  cent. — coupled  with  the  further  reduction  of  toll  here 
suggested  by  the  commissioners,  would  render  the  Erie  Ca- 
nal emphatically  "  the  great  highway"  between  the  Atlantic 
and  the  interior  seas,  bidding  defiance  to  all  competition  in 
the  general  transportation  of  freight  between  the  east  and 
the  west. 

The  movements  of  the  canal  commissioners  in  1835,  in 
favour  of  enlargement  and  double  locks,  were  followed  by  a 
law  authorizing  the  work  to  be  prosecuted  with  the  surplus 
revenue  of  the  canals,  after  discharging  all  encumbrances 
for  repairs,  &c.  Sixty  feet  topwater  width  and  a  depth  of 
six  feet  were  the  dimensions  first  proposed  for  the  enlarged 
trunk  ;  but  the  urgent  recommendations  of  some  meetings  in 
the  west  found  a  ready  response  in  the  decision  of  the  com- 
missioners for  increasing  those  dimensions  to  seventy  feet  in 
one  way  and  seven  feet  in  the  other.  Nowhere  has  the 
policy  of  this  measure  been  more  cordially  sustained  than  in 
Rochester.  The  people  of  that  city  expressed  their  convic- 
tions that  an  enlargement  to  even  eighty  feet  in  width  and 
eight  feet  in  depth  would  be  nowise  impolitic,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  showing  the  canal  board  that  they  were  prepared  to 
20 


230        SKETCHES  OP  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

sustain  them  in  adopting  any  dimensions  between  those  first 
suggested  and  the  latter  propositions.  The  extensive  inter- 
est of  our  people  in  the  transportation  business  of  the  Erie 
Canal — the  practical  familiarity  of  our  forwarders  with  the 
details — imparted  considerable  weight  to  the  opinions  ex- 
pressed. The  adjourned  meeting  at  which  these  opinions 
were  expressed  occurred  at  the  courthouse  in  Rochester  on 
the  21st  of  September,  1835  ;  when  the  mayor,  Jacob  Gould, 
presided,  and  E.  Darwin  Smith  acted  as  secretary.  "The 
committee  of  forty,  selected  at  the  previous  meeting,  to 
whom  was  referred  the  contemplated  enlargement  of  the 
Erie  Canal,"  says  the  account  published  at  the  time,  "  pre- 
sented the  following  memorial  and  resolutions  (which  had 
been  reported  to  that  committee  by  their  sub-committee,  com- 
posed of  Myron  Holley,  Jesse  Hawley,  David  S.  Bates, 
Lyman  B.  Langworthy,  and  Henry  O'Reilly)  as  their  report 
— which,  having  been  considered  and  adopted,  was  ordered 
to  be  presented  to  our  citizens  for  signature,  and  then  trans- 
mitted to  the  canal  board  previous  to  their  meeting  on  the 
20th  October." 

The  memorial  and  resolutions  were  drawn  with  the  usual 
terseness  of  Myron  Holley,  from  whom,  while  a  commis- 
sioner, proceeded  many  of  the  most  valuable  documents  in- 
corporated in  the  "official  history"  of  the  Erie  and  Cham- 
plain  Canals.  It  may  be  remarked,  that  on  the  same  sub- 
committee there  was  associated  with  Mr.  Holley  two  other 
persons  who  could  have  little  imagined,  in  their  early  efforts 
for  improvement,  that  they  would  live  to  see  undertaken  an 
enlargement  more  expensive  than  the  original  enterprise — 
Jesse  Hawley,  the  author  of  the  first  essays  in  favour  of  the 
Erie  Canal,  and  David  S.  Bates,  one  of  the  excellent  engi- 
neers who  arranged  the  work.  A  committee  of  publication 
and  correspondence,  appointed  to  further  the  views  of  the 
meeting,  consisted  of  Jesse  Hawley,  Timothy  Childs,  Isaac 
Hills,  Lyman  B.  Langworthy,  Jacob  Gould,  and  Thomas  H. 
Rochester. 

The  memorial  set  forth  that  "  the  subscribers  are  resi- 
dents of  this  state  near  the  line  of  the  Erie  Canal ;  and  many 
of  us  have  long  been,  and  still  are,  extensively  engaged  in 
the  business  of  transportation  upon  it.  We  have  habitually 
observed  its  effects  and  shared  in  its  influences,  and  sup- 
pose no  private  members  of  the  community  have  been  more 
incited  by  interest,  or  had  better  opportunities  to  understand 


PROGRESS  or  IMPROVEMENT.        231 

all  its  bearings  upon  public  and  private  prosperity.  We 
were  exceedingly  gratified  with  that  enlightened  regard  to 
one  of  the  most  important  subjects  of  iheir  care,  which  led 
the  Legislature,  in  May  last,  to  provide  for  the  enlargement 
of  this  great  work.  And  we  congratulate  each  other  upon 
the  wisdom  which  placed  the  time,  and  mode,  and  measure 
of  such  enlargement  at  the  almost  unrestricted  discretion  of 
the  canal  board  ;  and  more  especially  as  the  law  to  which 
we  refer  was  passed,  after  due  reflection  and  deliberation, 
upon  your  report  of  30th  March  preceding.  That  able  doc- 
ument, with  the  scientific  and  satisfactory  letter  appended  to 
it,  addressed  to  your  honourable  body  by  three  of  your  engi- 
neers, appears  to  us  to  indicate  the  most  obvious  and  effi- 
cient means  of  giving  the  happiest  development  to  the  great 
system  of  internal  improvement  which  this  state  has  so  long 
and  so  profitably  pursued." 

A  few  of  the  resolutions  will  exhibit  the  views  expressed 
touching  the  canal  policy  past  and  present  of  the  State  of 
New- York  : — 

"  6th.  Resolved,  That  it  well  becomes  the  policy  of  this 
state,  as  soon  as  it  may  be  consistent  with  its  constitutional 
charter,  to  complete  the  enlargement  of  her  great  artificial 
water-way  ;  and  then  to  provide  liberally  for  all  the  ramifi- 
cations from  this  spinal  cord  of  her  internal  navigation. 

"  7th.  Resolved,  That  we  view  the  construction  of  the 
Erie  Canal  on  its  present  dimensions  as  a  measure  of  econ- 
omy wisely  adapted  to  the  greater  work  which  we  now 
contemplate  ;  insomuch  that,  if  our  present  views  had  been 
originally  entertained  by  judicious  and  practical  statesmen, 
they  would  have  been  amply  justified  in  giving  it  such  minor 
dimensions :  first,  as  a  large  experiment  to  convince  the  in- 
credulous of  the  advantages  of  the  work ;  second,  as  the 
most  useful  engine  which  could  have  been  devised  to  facili- 
tate the  ulterior  construction. 

"  8th.  Resolved,  That,  considering  the  natural  advantages 
which  the  state  of  New-York  possesses  in  her  population, 
her  wealth,  her  experience,  her  enterprise,  and  her  reputa- 
tion, to  obtain  and  secure  the  trade  of  the  western  lakes  and 
a  portion  of  the  valley  of  the  Ohio,  it  belongs  to  her  en- 
lightened statesmen  to  accomplish  a  work  which  will  con- 
tribute so  largely  to  the  individual  wealth  and  public  pros- 
perity of  her  citizens,  and  merit  the  benedictions  and  grat- 
itude of  posterity." 


232        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

At  the  session  of  the  20th  October  of  the  same  year, 
the  canal  board,  as  already  intimated,  decided  on  increasing 
the  dimensions  ten  feet  in  width  and  one  in  depth  beyond 
the  sixty  by  six  proposed  in  the  first  plan  of  enlargement. 

But  the  process  of  enlargement  by  means  of  the  surplus 
tolls  alone  is  too  slow  to  suit  the  feelings  or  accord  with  the 
interests  of  the  people  or  the  character  of  the  state.  Vigor- 
ous eflbris  have  been  made  in  the  western  part  of  the  state 
to  procure  a  law  for  expediting  the  enlargement.  A  public 
meeting  was  held  at  the  courthouse  in  Rochester  on  the 
30th  December,  1836,  to  consider  the  propriety  of  urging 
the  adoption  of  means  additional  to  those  appropriated  by 
the  law  of  1835  for  effecting  the  improvement.  As  one  ob- 
ject of  this  volume  is  to  collect  facts  respecting  the  City  of 
Rochester ;  as  the  project  of  enlargement  is  second  only  in 
importance  to  the  original  scheme  of  the  Erie  Canal  ;  and  as 
consequences  of  some  note  followed  the  stand  taken  by  the 
people  of  Rochester,  an  outline  of  their  proceedings  on  this 
occasion  may  be  introduced  as  explanatory  of  the  views 
which  influenced  them  in  recommending  the  proposed  course 
of  policy. 

"  ENLARGEMENT    OF    THE    ERIE    CANAL. 

^'Proposed  Loan  anticipating  the  Canal  Revenue, for 
expediting  that  magnijicent  work. 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Rochester  assembled  at 
the  courthouse  on  the  30th  December,  1836,  pursuant  to 
public  notice,  to  consider  the  subject  of  the  enlargement  of 
the  Erie  Canal,  James  Seymour,  Esq.,  was  called  to  the 
chair,  and  S.  G.  Andrews  appointed  secretary. 

"  The  meeting  was  addressed  by  Doctor  M.  Brown,  by 
General  Gould,  and  by  Henry  O'Reilly,  who  introduced  the 
following  resolutions,  which  were  unanimously  adopted  : 

"  Whereas.,  The  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New-York 
recently  authorized  the  enlargement  of  the  Erie  Canal  to 
such  dimensions  as  the  canal  authorities  should  deem  re- 
quisite for  the  commerce,  already  vast  and  rapidly  increas- 
ing, through  that  immense  thoroughfare  between  the  Atlantic 
seaboard  and  the  extensive  inland  navigation  furnished  by 
our  mighty  lakes  and  rivers — such  enlargement  to  be  ac- 
complished gradually,  by  an  annual  expenditure  of  the  rev- 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.  233 

enue  of  the  canals  of  the  state,  after  discharging  the  many 
other  burdens  to  which  that  revenue  is  subjected  :   and, 

"  Whereas,  The  canal  commissioners,  pursuant  to  the 
power  with  which  they  are  thus  intrusted,  have  taken  all 
proper  measures  for  prosecuting  the  great  project  as  ener- 
getically as  their  limited  means  will  allow — having  previ- 
ously consulted  and  been  sustained  by  public  opinion  in  de- 
termining that  the  proposed  enlargement  should  extend  to  7 
feet  depth  and  70  feet  M'idth — a  capacity  sufficient  for  float- 
ing vessels  of  thrice  the  present  tonnage  with  nearly  similar 
traction,  and  calculated  greatly  to  encourage  trade  through 
this  state  by  reducing  the  freight  in  a  ratio  somewhat  simi- 
lar :   and, 

"  Whereas,  The  cost  of  the  enlargement  will,  at  least, 
equal  the  original  expense  of  constructing  the  Erie  Canal — a 
sum  which  cannot  probably  be  netted  from  the  canal  revenue 
and  made  applicable  for  effecting  the  enlargement  in  less 
than  twelve  or  fifteen  years — a  period  altogether  too  remote 
for  accomplishing  an  improvement  so  well  justified  by  suc- 
cessful results  hitherto  ;  so  loudly  demanded  by  the  true  in- 
terests and  fame  of  the  state  ;  so  imperatively  required  by 
the  vast  spread  of  population  westward,  needing  improved 
facilities  for  trade  and  travel  between  the  shores  of  their  in- 
land seas  and  the  coasts  of  the  Atlantic  :  Be  it  therefore 

"  Resolved,  By  the  citizens  of  Rochester,  in  general  meet- 
ing assembled.  That,  in  view  of  all  these  circumstances, 
and  in  consideration  of  the  strenuous  efforts  now  constantly 
made  to  divert  trade  and  travel  between  east  and  west 
through  canals  and  railroads  in  other  quarters  rival  to  those 
of  this  state,  we  feel  it  to  be  due  alike  to  the  welfare  of  this 
state  and  to  our  own  interest  to  aid  in  arousing  general  at- 
tention to  a  subject  of  such  vital  consequence  as  the  en- 
largement, with  all  practicable  speed,  of  our  great  naviga- 
ble HIGHWAY,  the  construction  of  which  has  shed  lustre  on 
the  Empire  State  as  the  pioneer  in  the  cause  of  internal  im- 
provement ;  while  it  has  benefited  not  only  this  state,  but  a 
large  portion  of  the  confederacy,  to  a  degree  far  transcend- 
ing the  most  sanguine  calculations  of  its  earliest  and  strong- 
est advocates. 

"  Resolved,  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  assemblage,  the 
same  enlightened  public  opinion  which  warranted  the  raising 
of  loans  for  effecting  the  original  experiment  of  the  Erie  Ca- 
nal, and  which  recently  iraboldened  the  canal  authorities  to 
20* 


234  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

decide  on  enlarging  that  great  work  to  nearly  double  its 
present  capacity,  will  now  triumphuntJij  sustain  the  Legis- 
lature in  authorizing  a  loan  bused  on  the  canal  revenue,  for 
hurrying  to  compleiion  with  all  practicable  speed  the  en- 
largement of  that  invaluable  enterprise,  which  may  always 
be  continued  the  great  highway,  as  it  was  the  first,  be- 
tween the  waters  of  the  Far  West  and  of  the  ocean — the 
GRAND  CONNECTING  LINK  between  the  people  of  the  sea- 
board and  their  fellow-citizens  of  a  vast  interior — "  The 
great  highway,"  for  the  immense  benefits  which  would  re- 
sult to  trade  from  its  speedy  enlargement  would  at  once 
place  it  beyond  injurious  competition  from  any  other  chan- 
nel which  can  be  devised  for  intercourse  between  the  Atlan- 
tic and  much  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  as  well  as  the  vast 
chain  of  lakes — "  The  grand  connecting  link,"  for  the  influ- 
ence of  the  magnificent  work  thus  speedily  accomplished, 
before  trade  is  much  diverted  into  other  channels  now  open- 
ing, would  be  felt  through  all  time  in  the  political  and  social 
relations  of  the  wide-spread  regions  whose  interests  it  would 
permanently  cement. 

"  Resolved,  That  however  important  the  proposed  en- 
largement may  be  to  Rochester  and  to  Western  New-York, 
we  should  grossly  wrong  our  fellow-citizens  by  ascribing  to 
a  sense  of  mere  personal  or  local  interest  the  animated  feel- 
ing which  pervades  the  community  respecting  it — as,  though 
fully  alive  to  the  great  stake  which  we  all  have  in  its  speedy 
accomplishment,  the  emotions  of  pride  and  patriotism  with 
which  the  subject  is  discussed  through  this  region  invests 
it  with  a  character  more  elevated  than  can  be  reached  by 
any  calculation  of  dollars  and  cents." 

[About  half  of  the  resolutions  are  omitted — one  of  which 
proposed  a  convention  of  the  people  of  Western  New-York, 
to  be  held  at  Rochester  on  the  18lh  January,  1837,  to  urge 
upon  the  Legislature  the  policy  of  borrowing  money,  in  an- 
ticipation of  the  canal  revenue,  for  speedily  completing  the 
enlargement.] 

"  The  following  gentlemen  were  appointed  a  committee, 
under  one  of  the  foregoing  resolutions,  to  carry  out  the  ob- 
jects of  the  meeting:  Henry  O'Reilly,  J.  Child,  M.  Brown, 
Jacob  Gould,  A.  M.  Schermerhorn,  S.  G.  Andrews,  J.  K. 
Livingston,  Joseph  Field,  E.  Darwin  Smith,  Silas  O.  Smith, 
Thomas  Keropshall,  Joseph  Strong,  Hervey  Ely. 
I  "  James  Seymour,  Chairman. 

"  S.  G.  Andreavs,  Secretary." 


PROGRESS  OP  IMPROVEMENT.         235 

Pursuant  to  the  arrangements  made  at  this  meeting,  one 
of  the  largest  Conventions  ever  held  in  Western  New-York 
met  in  the  eourlhonse  in  Rochester  on  the  day  proposed, 
and  continued  the  session  till  the  following  afternoon.  Na- 
than Dayton,  of  Lockport,  now  Circuit  Judge,  presided  on 
the  occasion,  assisted  by  James  Seymour,  of  Rochester, 
Jesse  Havvley,  of  Niagara  county,  Josiah  Trowbridge,  of 
Buffalo,  and  Allen  Ayrault,  of  Geneseo.  Jas.  L.  Barton,  of 
Erie,  Saml.  G.  Andrevvs,  of  Rochester,  Theron  R.  Strong,  of 
Wayne,  and  A.  H.  M'Kinstry,  of  Orleans,  were  secretaries. 

The  Convention  was  addressed  by  various  gentlemen  from 
different  sections  ;  by  Seth  C.  Hawley,  Jolin  L.  Kimberly,  R. 
W.  Haskins,  W.  K.  Scott,  James  R.  Barton,  Bela  D.  Coe, 
Wm.  Ketchum,  Mr.  Douglass,  and  others  arnong  the  large 
and  spirited  delegation  from  Buffalo  ;  by  Jesse  Hawley, 
W^ashington  Hunt,  Orsamus  Turner,  Robert  H.  Stevens, 
and  others  from  Lockport;  by  Truman  Hart,  formerly  a 
canal  commissioner,  J.  W,  Cuyler,  and  others  from  Palmyra  ; 
by  Micah  Brooks,  of  Mount  Morris,  Mr.  Bennett,  of  Lima, 
ahd  others  from  Livingston  county  ;  by  Hiram  M'Collum, 
of  New-York  ;  by  Matthew  Brown,  F.  Whittlesey,  E.  D. 
Smith,  H.  L.  Stevens,  Orlando  Hastings,  Elisha  B.  Strong, 
Joseph  Strong,  Alexander  Kelsey,  S.  G.  Andrews,  and  other 
citizens  of  Rochester.  An  address  to  the  people  of  the 
state,  reported  by  Orsamus  Turner,  and  a  series  of  resolu- 
tions submitted  by  the  chairman  of  the  committee  raised  for 
the  purpose,  expressive  of  the  views  entertained  of  the  great 
question  of  State  Policy  which  the  convention  had  assem- 
bled to  promote,  were  adopted,  after  animated  and  satisfac- 
tory remarks  indicating  the  strong  interest  felt  by  the  large 
assemblage.  The  proceedings  were  in  full  accordance  with 
the  views  expressed  by  the  Rochester  meeting  which  called 
the  Convention.  One  of  the  speakers  noticed  the  fact,  as  re- 
markable in  the  history  of  our  internal  improvements,  that 
some  of  the  earliest  projectors  and  advocates  of  our  canal 
system  were  present  and  participated  in  this  convention — a 
convention  assembled  to  promote  the  speedy  enlargement  of 
the  Grand  Canal — to  urge  the  original  construction  of  which 
canal  some  of  the  same  persons  had  assembled  in  a  similar 
convention  at  Canandaigua  in  January,  1817 — precisely 
twenty  years  before.  After  a  session  which  was  marked 
with  very  gratifying  evidences  of  harmonious  co-operation 
in  the  cause  for  which  it  was  convened,  the  convention  con- 
cluded its  business  by  appointing  the  following  persons  as  a 


236        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC, 

Central  Executive  Committee  at  Rochester,  to  take  all  proper 
measures  for  placing  the  subject  full)'  before  the  people,  and 
by  memorials  before  the  Legislature,  viz. :  Henry  O'Reilly, 
James  Seymour,  Jonatlian  Ciiild,  E.  Darwin  Smith,  Samuel 
G.  Andrews,  'I'homas  II.  Rochester,  Horace  Gay,  Frederic 
Whittlesey,  Orlando  Hastings,  Everard  Peck,  Abraham  M. 
Schermerhorn,  Thomas  Kempshall,  Joseph  Field.  The 
committee  thus  constituted  adopted  energetic  measures  for 
fullilling  their  trust,  in  connexion  with  a  spirited  committee 
appointed  by  the  citizens  of  Buflalo.  A  bill  authorizing  an 
appropriation  of  half  a  million  of  dollars  per  annum,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  surplus  canal  tolls,  for  the  purposes  of  the  enlarge- 
ment, was  started  in  the  Legislature,  then  in  session,  but 
failed  to  become  a  law.  Farther  efl'orls  were  made  to  ad- 
vance the  enterprise  by  presenting  the  subject  by  memorials 
to  the  present  Legislature  (1838);  and  a  bill  proposing  an 
appropriation,  larger  than  that  offered  last  year  ($3,000,000 
annually,  besides  surplus  tolls),  must  meet  its  fate  in  the 
Senate,  favourable  or  otherwise,  within  a  few  days  after  this 
sheet  passes  through  the  press. 

Since  the  completion  of  the  Erie  and  Champlain  Canals, 
the  canal  policy  has  been  extended  so  as  to  embrace  within 
its  invigorating  influences  nearly  all  sections  of  the  state. 
A  brief  notice  of  these  ramifications  of  the  system  may  be 
added  here  : 

1.  The  Oswego  Canal,  38  miles  long,  extends  from  Syra- 
cuse to  Lake  Ontario,  nearly  half  the  distance  being  slack- 
water  navigation,  by  means  of  Oswego  River.  The  lock- 
age is  123  feet  on  canal  and  dam,  there  being  14  lift  locks 
and  6  guard  locks.  It  was  commenced  in  1826  and  com- 
pleted in  1828. 

2.  The  Cayuga  and  Seneca  Canal,  begun  in  1827  and 
finished  in  1829,  extends  from  Geneva  eastwardly  along  the 
north  end  of  Seneca  Lake  to  the  outlet,  about  two  miles  ; 
and  thence  down  the  outlet  to  Montezuma,  nineteen  miles, 
one  quarter  of  which  is  through  the  marshes.  It  connects 
with  the  Cayuga  Lake  by  a  short  side-cut,  making  the 
whole  line  of  canalling  twenty-three  miles,  for  about  half  of 
which  the  river  is  used.  But  the  whole  line  of  navigation 
connected  with  the  Erie  Canal  by  this  improvement,  com- 
prehending the  Cayuga  and  Seneca  Lakes,  is  about  100 
miles,  or  139  miles,  including  the  Chemung  Canal  and  its 
feeder. 

3.  The  Chemung  Canal,  constructed  between  1830  and 


PROGRESS    OF    IMPROVEMENT.  237 

1833,  forms  part  of  the  communication  between  Seneca 
Lake  and  the  Susquehanna  River.  It  runs  from  the  head 
of  Seneca  Lake  through  the  valley  of  Catharine  Creek  to 
the  village  of  Horseheads ;  thence  along  Marsh  Creek  to 
Elmira,  on  Chemung  River,  a  tributary  of  the  Susquehan- 
na. A  navigable  feeder,  sixteen  miles  long,  from  Chemung 
River  at  Knoxville  to  the  summit  level  at  Horseheads, 
makes,  with  the  main  canal,  a  total  navigatipn  of  39  miles. 
It  has  53  wooden  locks,  with  488  feet  lockage  on  the  main 
line,  and  28  on  the  feeder,  making  a  total  of  516  feet  lock- 
age. From  Elmira  to  Albany  by  this  canal,  Seneca  Lake, 
Cayuga  and  Seneca,  and  Erie  Canals,  is  326  miles,  more 
than  one  third  longer  than  a  direct  route. 

4.  The  Crooked  Lake  Canal  is  about  eight  miles  long 
from  the  foot  of  Crooked  Lake,  near  Penn-Yan,  to  Dresden 
on  Cayuga  Lake,  with  a  lockage  of  269  feet,  overcome  by 
27  wooden  locks.  With  Crooked  Lake,  20  miles  long,  and 
a  branch  of  seven  miles,  a  navigation  of  35  miles  is  thus 
opened.     Commenced  in  1830,  finished  in  1833. 

5.  The  Chenango  Canal,  completed  between  1833  and 
1837,  extends  from  the  Erie  Canal  at  Utica  to  the  Susque- 
hanna River  at  Binghamton,  Broome  county — length  97 
miles,  with  a  total  lockage  of  1009  feet  ;  the  rise  from  the 
Erie  Canal  to  the  summit  level  being  706  feet,  and  the  fall 
thence  to  the  Susquehanna  303  feet.  Commencing  at 
Utica,  it  passes  through  the  valleys  of  Oriskany  and  Sau- 
quoit  Creek  and  Chenango  River,  and  by  the  villages  of 
New-Hartford,  Clinton,  Madison,  Hamilton,  Sherburne,  Nor- 
wich, Oxford,  Greene,  and  Chenango  Forks,  and  ending  at 
Binghamton. 

6.  The  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  was  constructed 
under  acts  of  the  New- York  and  Pennsylvania  Legislatures 
between  1825  and  1829.  The  chief  object  of  this  canal  is 
to  supply  the  New- York,  Albany,  and  other  markets  with 
coal,  although  the  company  have,  besides  a  loan  of  the 
credit  of  this  state  for  $800,000,  the  privilege  of  using  one 
third  of  their  capital  ($1,500,000)  in  banking.  Rondout,  a 
mile  from  the  Hudson,  is  the  eastern  depot  of  this  com- 
pany—90  miles  from  New- York,  and  60  from  Albany.  Its 
western  termination  is  at  Honesdale,  Penn.,  108  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  Hudson  depot.  The  amount  of  lockage  is 
950  feet,  the  number  of  locks  107.  From  Honesdale,  the 
company  have  a  railroad  of  16  miles,  on  which  their  coal  is 
transported  from  Carbondale  to  Honesdale. 


238        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

7.  The  Black  River  Canal  and  Erie  Canal  Feeder.  This 
canal  is  to  extend  from  the  foot  of  the  High  Falls  on  Black 
River  to  the  Erie  Canal  at  Rome.  A  feeder  is  to  be  made 
(navigable)  from  the  Black  River  to  the  summit  level  near 
Booiiville,  1 1  miles  ;  and  the  Black  River  to  be  made  navi- 
gable for  steamboats  drawing  four  feet,  from  the  northern 
termination  of  the  canal  to  Carthage  in  Jefferson  county, 
forty  miles.  The  lockage  up  from  the  Erie  Canal  is  696 
feet,  and  down  to  Black  River,  387 — total  1053  feet,  re- 
quiring 135  locks.  The  estimated  cost  of  the  whole  im- 
provements here  named  is  $1,068,437.  This  enterprise  is 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  northern  part  of  Oneida,  all  of 
Lewis,  and  part  of  Jefferson  and  St.  Lawrence  counties. 

8.  Last,  but  not  least — The  Genesee  Valley  Canal,  to 
connect  the  Erie  Canal  at  Rochester  with  the  Allegany 
River  at  Olean  in  Cattaraugus  county.  This  may  properly 
be  termed  the  southwest  termination  of  the  Grand  Canal,  as 
by  it  the  main  trunk  will  be  directly  connected  with  the  wa- 
ters of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  a  matter  which  must  prove 
of  great  consequence  to  the  trade  of  the  state.  This  was  a 
favourite  project  with  some  of  those  who  were  most  efficient 
in  promoting  the  construction  of  the  Erie  Canal.  It  was 
recommended  to  the  Legislature  by  Gov.  Clinton  on  various 
occasions.  The  route  underwent  several  examinations  be- 
tween 1825  and  1836,  in  which  latter  year  the  law  passed 
for  its  construction.  The  length  of  the  route  from  Ro- 
chester to  Allegany  River  at  Olean  is  107  miles — which, 
with  the  side-cut  between  the  flourishing  villages  of  Mount 
Morris  and  Dansville,  will  make  a  total  of  122  miles. 
About  one  third  of  the  route  was  placed  under  contract  in 
the  fall  and  winter  of  1837  ;  the  remainder  will  be  put  in 
hand  as  speedily  as  practicable,  and  the  whole  work  will 
be  completed  probably  by  the  close  of  1840.  The  summit 
level  is  11|^  miles  long,  and  979  feet  above  the  Erie  Canal 
at  Rochester ;  and  the  whole  lockage  on  canal  and  feeders, 
ascending  and  descending,  will  be  1059  feet,  overcome  by 
132  locks,  of  which  the  greatest  number  in  a  short  distance 
will  occur  in  Mount  Morris,  where  there  will  be  450  feet 
of  lockage  in  four  miles.  The  proportion  of  lockage  to  the 
length  of  this  canal  is  about  the  same  as  on  the  Chenango. 
Passing  through  a  country  rich  as  the  Genesee  Valley; 
connecting  the  Erie  Canal  and  Lake  Ontario  at  Rochester 
with  the  Allegany  River,  and  through  it  with  the  Ohio  and 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT. 


239 


Mississippi ;  affording  opportunities  for  exchanging  our  pro- 
ducts for  the  coal  and  iron  of  Pennsylvania,  and  other  com- 
modities of  different  states;  the  importance  of  the  Genesee 
Valley  Canal  to  the  permanent  welfare  of  the  City  of  Ro- 
chester, as  well  as  to  that  of  the  trade  of  the  state,  may  be 
readily  conjectured  by  the  intelligent  examiner.  Farther 
notice  of  this  canal  is  taken  in  connexion  with  the  trade  of 
Rochester. 

Thus  much  for  the  "  progress  of  improvement"  as  indi- 
cated b5''the  principal  canals  authorized  to  be  constructed  in 
this  state.  A  few  words  now  for  the  two  principal  lines  of 
railroads. 

The  "  New- York  and  Erie  Railroad,"  through  the  south- 
ern tier  of  counties,  was  undertaken  by  a  company  chartered 
in  1833.  The  proposed  route,  some  sections  of  which  have 
been  placed  under  contract,  passes  through  the  counties  of 
Rockland,  Orange,  Sullivan,  Delaware,  Broome,  Chenango, 
Tioga,  Chemung,  Steuben,  Allegany,  Cattaraugus,  and  Cha- 
tauque.  It  is  to  commence  at  a  point  on  the  Hudson  con- 
venient to  New- York,  and  terminate  on  Lake  Erie,  west  of 
Cattaraugus  Creek,  in  Chatauque  county.  A  law  of  1835 
promised  the  loan  of  the  credit  of  the  state  for  three  millions 
of  dollars,  state  stock  for  which  to  be  issued  in  certain  por- 
tions as  the  company  should  complete  different  sections. 
Ten  years  are  allowed  by  the  charter  for  finishing  the  first 
quarter,  fifteen  for  finishing  one  half,  and  twenty  years  for 
completing  the  undertaking.  Benj.  Wright,  Jas.  Seymour, 
and  Cliarles  Ellet,  surveyed  the  route  in  1834,  and  their 
calculations  of  its  feasibility  have  been  approved  by  various 
engineers.  Some  sections  of  the  route  may  be  made  pro- 
ductive as  soon  as  completed,  and  thus  make  returns  upon 
the  investments,  which  will  aid  much  in  encouraging  those 
concerned  to  an  early  completion  of  the  route.  Gordon,  in 
his  Gazetteer  of  New- York,  marks  the  following  points  on 
the  line  of  this  proposed  communication  : 

"  The  valleys  traversed  by  the  route  distribute  it  into  six 
great  divisions  : 

"  1.  Hudson,  from  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson 
River,  24  miles  north  of  New-York  City,  to  the  Deer- 
park  gap  of  the  Shawangunk  mountain,    . 

"  2.  Delaware^  from  Deerpark  gap,  through  the  val- 
ley of  the  Delaware  and  its  tributaries,  to  a  summit  12 
miles  northwest  of  Deposit,  Delaware  county,    . 

"  3.  Susquehanna,  from  that  summit,  through  the 


Miles. 

73i 
115 


240  SKETCHES    OP   ROCTIESTEK,    ETC. 

valley  of  the  Susquehanna,  <fec.,  to  a  summit  13  miles    '^'■'"s- 
southwest  of  Hornellsville,  Steuben  county,        .  .   163  J 

"  4.  Genesee,  from  the  last-mentioned  summit,  over 
the  Genesee  Valley,  to  a  summit  3  miles  east  of  the 
village  of  Cuba,  Allei^any  county,     .  .  .  .37 

"  5.  AUegnny,  along  the  valley  of  the  Allegany 
River  and  tributaries,  on  a  line  to  the  head  of  an  in- 
clined plane,  proposed  upon  the  dividing  ridge  at  Lake 
Erie, 83 

"  6.  Lake  Erie,  comprising  the  short  and  rapid  de- 
scent to  the  lake,  and  including  the  inclined  plane,  and 
two  branches,  one  to  Portland,  9,  and  the  other  to 
Dunkirk,  Si  miles, 9 

*'  Add  the  distance  to  New- York  from  the  point  of 
departure  on  the  Hudson,         ....         .24 

"  And  the  whole  will  be 505 

"The  distance  from  New- York  to  Portland, via  Newourgh, 
is  415  miles  ;  but  the  route  of  the  railroad  round,  not  over 
the  hills,  gives  the  increase.  A  straight,  but  far  more  ex- 
pensive course  might  perhaps  be  made  in  350  miles.  It  is 
apprehended,  however,  that  more  minute  surveys  will  enable 
the  engineers  to  shorten  the  route  ;  and  it  is  now  said  to  be 
reduced  to  460  miles." 

The  whole  cost  of  the  New- York  and  Erie  Railroad,  from 
the  Hudson  to  Lake  Erie,  is  estimated  at  $6,000,000  for  a 
single  track,  including  locomotives,  cars,  &c.  Among  the 
projected  lateral  communications  connected  with  this  railroad 
route,  there  is  one  for  connecting  at  Dansville  with  a  pro- 
posed railroad  from  Rochester,  as  well  as  with  the  branch  of 
the  Genesee  Canal — and  in  Allegany  county,  the  New- York 
and  Erie  Railroad  route  crosses  the  main  trunk  of  the  Gen- 
esee Canal.  So  that  this  proposed  southern  railroad  can- 
not be  viewed  with  inditference  by  the  people  of  Rochester, 
connected  with  it  as  they  may  thus  be,  by  railroad  or  canal 
through  the  Genesee  Valley. 

But  there  is  still  another  line  of  railroad,  the  speedy  com- 
pletion of  which  promises  great  advantage  to  Rochester. 
The  northern  railroad  route,  between  the  Hudson  and  Lake 
Erie,  passes  through  Rochester  in  connecting  Albany  and 
Buffalo.  It  is  composed  of  several  links,  such  as  the  roads 
between  Albany  and  Schenectady,  from  the  latter  place  to 
Utica,  thence  to  Syracuse,  from  that  place  to  Auburn,  and 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT.  241 

from  Auburn  to  Rochester — whence  the  communication  is 
continued  by  the  Tonnewanta  Railroad  to  Batavia  and  Attica, 
while  the  enterprising  citizen.?  of  Buffalo,  connected  with 
others  at  Batavia,  &c.,  are  preparing  to  finish  the  last  link  in 
the  chain  by  carrying  on  the  work  from  Batavia  to  Lake 
Erie  at  Buffalo.  This  line  is  now  in  operation  between  Al- 
bany and  Utica,  and  between  Rochester  and  Batavia — ihe 
section  between  Syracuse  and  Auburn  will  be  in  operation 
this  summer — while  vigorous  preparations  are  made  for 
completing  speedily  the  links  between  Utica  and  Syracuse, 
and  between  Auburn  and  Rochester. 

With  the  improvements  in  progress  between  Albany  and 
Boston,  it  is  not  improbable  that  in  three  years  a  railroad 
communication  will  thus  be  completed  from  Lake  Erie  to 
Massachusetts  Bay — passing  through  Rochester,  where  the 
route  is  connected  with  the  navigation  of  Lake  Ontario. 

So  that,  in  the  two  great  railroad  routes  between  the  east 
and  west,  as  well  as  in  the  magnificent  works  of  enlarging 
the  Erie  Canal  and  constructing  the  Genesee  Canal,  be- 
sides the  improvement  of  the  lake  and  river  navigation,  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  people  of  Rochester  have  extensive  in- 
terests which  may  excuse  the  fulness  of  the  references  here 
made  to  the  subject  of  Internal  Improvements — some  fur- 
ther particulars  of  which,  in  their  connexions  with  our  city, 
may  be  found  among  the  notices  in  the  sequel  of  the  trade 
and  resources  of  Rochester. 

The  extent  of  our  internal  improvements  forms  at  this 
day  a  brilliant  contrast  to  the  rude  efforts  which  we  have 
traced  in  roadmaking  through  Western  New-York.  And 
yet  it  has  been  said  that  this  state  is  a  sluggard  in  the  cause 
of  which  she  was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  !  In  rebutting 
a  charge  of  this  sort,  the  State  Paper  mentions  that — 

"  Since  1817  not  a  year  has  passed  in  which  New- York  has  not  been 
engaged  upon  some  great  work  of  internal  improvement :  and  the  state 
is  at  this  moment  engaged  in  the  construction  of  works,  the  cost  of 
which  (to  say  nothing  of  the  loan  to  the  New-York  and  Erie  Railroad) 
is  not  estimated  at  less  than  $21,000,000  !  The  following  statement, 
derived  from  authentic  sources,  will  show  what  New-York  has  done. 

Canals  finished  cost $12,000,000 

Genesee  Valley  and  Black  River  will  cost  .         .  6,200,000 

Enlargement  of  the  Erie  Canal,  at  least       .  .  .  15,000,000 

Loaned  to  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal      .  .  .  800,000 

Loaned  (authorized)  New- York  and  Erie  Railroad       .  3,000,000 


Amount  carried  over,  $37,000,000 

21 


'i* 


242 


SKETCHES   OP    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 


Amount  brought  forward, 


"  So  much  has  been  expended  and  authorized  to  be  ex- 
pended by  the  state.     In  addition  to  which  are  the  follow- 
ing private  works  of  improvement,  viz.  : 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal,  completed       .       $2,420,000 
Railroads  completed  ....         6,065,000 

Private  Canals  commenced  .         .         .         1,550,000 

Railroads  commenced  ....       16,000,000 


$37,000,000 


25,035,000 


Total       . 

Add  railroads  authorized 


$62,035,000 
31,064,000 


Grand  total  $93,099,000 

"  The  number  of  miles  of  canals  and  railroads  completed  is  995 ;  miles 
commenced,  1134;  authorized,  1704  ;  showing  a  total  of  4833  miles." 
Thus  has  New- York  sustained  the  system  which  she  conunenced. 

The  following  is  a  comparative  view  of  the  tolls  on  the 
canals  for  four  years  : 


Canals. 

1833. 

1834. 

1835. 

1836. 

Erie  Canal, 

1,290,136  20 

1,179,744  97 

1,375,821  26 

1,440,539  87 

Champlam  Canal, 

132,.559  02 

113,211  89 

117,030  33 

11.5,425  24 

Oswego  Canal, 

22,950  47 

22,168  02 

29,180  62 

30,469  83 

Cayuga  and  Seneca, 

17,174  69 

18,130  43 

20,430  14 

20,523  43 

Chemung  Canal, 

694  00 

3,378  05 

4,714  98 

5,066  20 

Crooked  Lake, 

200  84 

1,473  40 

1,830  55 

2,31186 

1,463,715  22 

1,340,106  76 

1,548,108  65 

1,614,336  43 

Tolls  collected  at  some  of  the  principal  places  on  the  Erie 
Canal. 

Places  of  Collection.  1833. 


1834. 


1835. 


Albany, 
West  Troy, 
Utica,     . 
Syracuse, 
Rochester, 
Palmyra, 
Lockport, 
Buffalo, 


323,689  88 
172,070  41 
55,063  97 
98,931  05 
168,452  37 
48,117  96 
50,562  39 
73,812  79 


245,746  42 
132,035  02 
52,266  44 
83,550  68 
164,247  28 
51,056  54 
44,536  68 
91,203  44 


.357,613  84  389,327  28 

153,459  78j  160,247  67 
50,.584  30  57,974  40 
74,756  29    56,767  22 

176,170  33  190,036  59 
40,181  28  41,079  17 
52,129  24    38,199  69 

106,213  35,158,085  05 


Thus  have  we  presented  a  rude  outline  of  the  progress  of 
improvement  from  the  period  when  the  first  road  was  laid 
out  through  Western  New- York  down  to  the  present  time, 
when  the  land  is  teeming  with  the  rich  fruits  of  an  en- 
lightened policy — of  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  furnish 
happier  evidence  than  is  afibrded  by  the  City  of  Ro- 
chester. 


STATISTICS  OF  ROCHESTER. 


Having  in  the  preceding  papers  furnished  some  facts 
which  it  was  thought  might  be  interesting  to  the  citizens  re- 
specting the  climate,  soil,  settlement,  and  productions  of  this 
western  region  generally,  we  will  now  devote  our  remarks 
more  particiilarly  to  the  City  of  Rochester. 

The  various  branches  of  information  illustrative  of  the 
origin  and  condition  of  the  city  will  be  found  arranged  under 
appropriate  captions.  It  is  for  the  reader  to  determine 
whether  these  statements  afford  sufficient  confirmation  of  our 
assertions  in  the  outline  sketch  of  Rochester  with  which  this 
volume  was  commenced. 

Although  the  origin  of  Rochester  may  not  be  correctly 
dated  before  its  incorporation  under  a  village  charter  in  1817 
(the  difficulties  connected  with  the  war  having  prevented 
any  considerable  settlement  for  the  first  three  or  four  years 
after  it  was  "laid  out"),  it  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  pre- 
serve some  records  of  the  rude  condition  of  the  tract  on 
which  the  city  is  built — records,  for  which  we  are  indebted 
to  the  recollections  of  some  of  the  pioneers  and  to  the  private 
journal  of  a  statesman  (De  Witt  Clinton),  whose  "first 
impressions"  were  noted  in  connexion  with  other  particu- 
lars of  the  first  exploring  tour  of  the  commissioners  on  the 
route  of  the  Erie  Canal. 

With  this  preface  we  present  some  notices  of  the  condition 
of  things  previous  to  the  incorporation  of  the  village  of 
Rochester.  These  "  lowly  annals"  form  an  amusing  con- 
trast to  the  record  which  the  lapse  of  a  single  quarter  century 
enables  us  to  present  respecting  the  same  portion  of  territory. 

Condition  of  Things  in  and  around  the  Site  of  Rochester 
(previous  to  1817). 

The  main  road  from  Utica  to  Buffalo,  passing  across  the 
Genesee  at  Avon  by  the  only  bridge  then  on  the  river,  oc- 
casioned an  extensive  settlement  of  the  lands  in  the  imrae- 


244         SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

(liate  vicinity  of  that  thoroughfare,  while  a  large  tract,  of 
which  Rochester  is  now  the  centre,  was  almost  literally  a 
wilderness.  A  few  persons,  however,  penetrated  northward 
between  Avon  and  Lake  Ontario  as  ealy  as  1788-90.  These 
were  Israel  and  Simon  Stone,  who  settled  in  what  is  now 
Pittsford  ;  and  they  were  followed  by  Glover  Perrin,  who 
settled  in  and  afterward  gave  a  nante  to  Perrinton  ;  and  by 
Peter  Shaeffer,  who  located  on  the  flats  of  the  Gtnesee,near 
where  Scoltsville  stands,  beside  Allen's  Creek — a  stream 
named  after  "  Indian  Allen,"  who  also  resided  there  before 
building  the  first  mill  hereabout  in  1790,  as  noticed  in  the 
account  of '' the  Early  Millers  of  the  Genesee." 

Orange  Stone  settled  in  what  is  now  called  Brighton,  about 
four  miles  from  the  Genesee,  in  1790  ;  and,  in  1791,  William 
Hincher  took  residence  in  the  woods  about  the  junction  of 
the  river  with  Lake  Ontario.  The  two  last-named  person- 
ages lived  twelve  miles  apart,  and  for  several  years  without 
an  intervening  neighbour.  Such  was  the  eccentricity  of 
Hincher,  that  he  looked  jealously  upon  new-comers,  whose 
settlements  might  disturb  the  tranquillity  of  this  "neighbour- 
hood." 

Respecting  Shaeffer,  Maude  said  in  1800,  "  This  respecta- 
ble farmer  lives  off  the  road  in  a  new  boarded  house,  the 
only  one  of  that  description  between  New-Hartford  [now 
Avon]  and  the  mouth  of  the  Genesee  River,  about  twenty-five 
miles.  Shaeffer  is  the  oldest  settler,  Indian  Allen  excepted, 
on  the  Genesee  River.  When  Shaeffer  first  settled  on  this 
river,  about  1788,  there  were  not  more  than  four  or  five 
families  settled  between  him  and  Fort  Schuyler  (Utica),  a 
distance  of  150  miles;  and  at  this  time,  1800,  there  is  a 
continued  line  of  settlements,  including  the  towns  of  Cayuga, 
Geneva,  Canadarqua,  and  the  populous  township  of  Bloom- 
field."* 

In  1796  Zadoc  Granger  and  Gideon  King  settled  at  what 
was  termed  Genesee   Landing,  afterward  Hanford's  Land- 


*  "  Shaeffer's  farm  consists  of  800  acres,  100  of  which  are  a  part  of 
the  celebrated  Genesee  Flats,  which  have  their  northern  termination  at 
this  place.  Shaeffer  informed  me  that  he  paid  seven  dollars  a  barrel  for 
salt,  and  that  six  dollars  was  the  usual  price.  This  he  considered  as 
one  of  the  greatest  hardships  of  his  situation  ;  for  the  inhabitants  of  the 
back  country  are  not  only  under  the  necessity  of  salting  their  provisions, 
but  of  giving  salt  to  their  cattle  ;  to  them  so  necessary  that  they  could 
not  live  without  it." — Maude,  1800. 


TOUR  OF   DE    WITT    CLINTON.  245 

ing,  sixteen  years  before  the  village  of  Rochester  was  pro- 
jected.    (See  article  headed  "  Hanford's  Landing.") 

Tour  ofDe  Witt  Clinton  m  1810. 

The  journal  which  De  Witt  Clinton  kept  while  on  an  ex- 
ploring tour  with  the  other  Canal  Commissioners,  furnishes 
some  notices  of  the  country  at  and  around  the  place  where 
Rochester  has  since  sprung  into  being.  Through  the  po- 
liteness of  the  gentleman  who  is  now  preparing  a  memoir 
(with  the  aid  of  the  private  papers)  of  the  lamented  states- 
man, we  have  been  permitted  to  copy  from  the  journal  the 
observations  made  by  Mr.  Clinton  at  that  time.  Under  date 
of  July,  1810,  the  journal  (which  is  generally  minute  in  its 
details)  thus  mentions  the  approach  to  and  departure  west- 
w^ard  from  the  Genesee  River : 

"  We  crossed  Gerundegut  Creek  at  Mann's  Mills,  where 
Mr.  Geddes  proposes  a  great  embankment  for  his  canal  from 
the  Genesee  River  to  the  head- waters  of  Mud  Creek,  and  he 
crosses  Gerundegut  Creek  here  in  order  to  attain  the  great- 
est elevation  of  ground  on  the  other  side.  Adjacent  to  this 
place  were  indications  of  iron  ore  and  red  ochre,  which  often 
accompany  each  other. 

"  We  arrived  at  the  tavern  at  Perrin's,  in  the  town  of 
Boyle  [now  Perrinton],  twenty-one  miles  from  Canandaigua, 
four  and  a  half  from  Gerundegut  or  Irondequoit  Landing,  and 
fourteen  from  Charlottesburgh.  A  vessel  of  thirty  tons  can 
go  to  the  head  of  this  landing  [from  Lake  Ontario ;  but  the 
sandbar  at  ihe  mouth  of  the  bay  now  prevents  all  intercourse 
of  that  sort].  The  sign  of  the  tavern  contains  masonic  em- 
blems, and  is  by  S.  Felt  &  Co.  Felt  is  a  man  in  the  land- 
lord's employ  ;  and  the  object  of  this  masked  sign  is,  as 
the  landlord  says,  to  prevent  his  debtors  from  avoiding  his 
house.  *  *  *  We  drew  lots  for  the  choice  of  beds  ;  and 
it  turning  out  in  my  favour,  I  chose  the  worst  bed  in  the 
house.  I  was  unable  to  sleep  on  accouiit  of  the  fleas,  &c. 
*  *  At  this  place  we  eat  the  celebrated  whitefish  salted  ; 
it  is  better  than  shad,  and  cost  at  Irondequoit  Landing  $12 
per  barrel. 

"  We  departed  from  here  at  seven  o'clock,  after  breakfast ; 
and  after  a  ride  of  eight  and  a  half  miles,  arrived  at  a  ford  of 
the  Genesee  River  about  half  a  mile  from  the  Great  Falls, 
and  seven  and  a  half  from  Lake  Ontario.  This  ford  is  one 
rock  of  limestone.  Just  below  it  there  is  a  fall  of  fourteen 
21* 


246  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

feet.*  An  excellent  bridge  of  uncommon  strength  is  now 
erecting  at  this  place.  We  took  a  view  of  the  Upper  and 
Lower  Falls.  The  first  is  ninety-seven,  and  the  other  is 
seventy-five  feet.  The  banks  on  each  side  are  higher  than 
the  falls,  and  appear  to  be  composed  of  slate,  but  principally 
of  red  freestone.  The  descent  of  the  water  is  perpendicular. 
The  view  is  grand,  considering  the  elevation  of  the  bank  and 
the  sinallness  of  the  cataract  or  sheet  of  water.  [Such  was, 
in  1810,  the  aspect  of  the  place  where  Rochester  is  built.] 

"  From  the  ford  to  the  lake  is  seven  and  a  half  miles  ; 

*'  From  the  Great  Falls  to  the  lake  is  seven  miles  ; 

"  From  the  Great  to  the  Lower  Falls  is  one  and  a  half 
miles  ; 

"  From  the  Lower  Falls  to  Hanford's  Tavern,  where  we 
put  up,  is  one  and  a  half  miles  ; 

"  From  Hanford's  to  Charlottesburgh  on  the  lake  is  four 
miles. 

"  There  is  a  good  sloop  navigation  from  the  lake  to  the 
Lower  Falls  [now  called  the  Ontario  Steamboat  Landing  in 
Rochester].  These  falls,  as  also  those  of  Niagara,  and 
perhaps  of  Oswego,  are  made  by  the  same  ridge  or  slope  of 
land.  The  Genesee  River,  in  former  times,  may  have  been 
dammed  up  at  these  falls,  and  have  formed  a  vast  lake  cov- 
ering all  the  Genesee  Flats  forty  miles  up.  The  navigation 
above  the  furd  is  good  for  small  boats  to  the  Canaseraga 
Creek,  and  ten  miles  above  it,  making  altogether  fifty  miles. 

"  We  dined  and  slept  at  Hanford's  tavern,  who  is  also  a 
merchant,  and  carries  on  a  considerable  trade  with  Canada. 
There  is  a  great  tradef  between  this  country  and  Montreal 
in  staves,  potash,  and  flour. 

•'  1  was  informed  by  Mr.  Hopkins,  the  officer  of  the  cus- 
toms here,  that  1000  barrels  of  flour,  1000  do.  of  pork,  1000 
do.  of  potash,  and  upward  of  100,000  staves,  had  been  al- 
ready sent  this  season  from  here  to  Montreal  ;  that  staves 
now  sold  there  for  $140  per  thousand,  and  had  one  time 

*  This  is  what  is  called  in  this  work  "  the  First  Fall."  (It  might 
be  better  termed  a  rapid — but  the  place  commonly  called  "  the  Rapids" 
is  about  two  miles  up  the  river.)  This  "  First  Fall"  is  situate  a  few 
rods  south  of  the  Erie  Canal  Aqueduct ;  and  from  the  dam  here  built 
water  is  thrown  into  millraces  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  There  are 
now  (1837)  three  other  dams  across  the  river,  supplying  hydraulic  power 
on  each  side  of  the  river  within  the  city  limits. 

+  It  is  amusing  to  contrast  that  "  great  trade  of  this  country"  with 
tlie  present  business  of  a  single  establishment  in  Rochester  alone. 


FIRST   PUBLIC    WORK   AT    ROCHESTER.  247 

brought  $400  ;  that  the  expense  of  transporting  1000  staves 
from  this  place  to  Montreal  is  from  $85  to  $90  ;  across  the 
lake,  from  $45  to  $50  ;  that  of  a  barrel  of  potash  to  Mon- 
treal, $2;  pork,  $2;  flour,  $1  25;  but  that  the  cheapness 
of  this  article  is  owing  to  competition,  and  is  temporary. 

"A  ton  of  goods  can  be  transported  from  Canandaigua  to 
Utica  by  land  for  $25  00. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  rain,  we  visited  in  the  aftprnoon 
the  mouth  of  the  river.  On  the  left  bank  a  village  has  been 
laid  out  by  Col.  Troup,  the  agent  of  the  Pulteney  Estate, 
and  called  Charlottesburgli,  in  compliment  to  his  daughter. 
He  has  divided  the  land  into  one-acre  lots.  Each  lot  is  sold 
at  $10  per  acre,  on  condition  that  the  purchaser  erects  a 
house  in  a  year.  This  place  is  in  the  town  of  Geneseo.  The 
harbour  here  is  good.  The  bar  at  the  mouth  varies  from 
eight  to  eight  and  a  half  feet,  and  the  channel  is  generally 
eleven  feet.  There  were  four  lake  vessels  in  it.  We  had 
an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  lake  in  a  storm,  and  it  perfectly 
resembled  its  parent  (the  ocean)  in  the  agitation,  the  roaring, 
and  the  violence  of  its  waves." 

The  first  Public  Work  tohere  Rochester  now  stands. 

The  law  authorizing  the  construction  of  a  bridge  across 
the  Genesee  where  the  main  bridge  of  Rochester  now  stands, 
gave  the  first  impulse  to  improvement  at  this  point. 

Among  those  whose  views  were  earliest  turned  to  the 
tract  whereon  Rochester  is  founded  was  our  respected  fel- 
low-citizen Enos  Sxonk,  who,  while  yet  in  a  green  old  age, 
has  the  satisfaction  of  beholding  around  him  evidences  of 
improvement  which  contrast  strongly  with  the  character  be- 
stowed upon  the  place  in  the  Legislature  while  the  Bridge 
Bill  was  under  consideration.*  Mr.  Stone  had  visited  this 
region  in  1794,  but  did  not  conclude  on  settling  here  till 
about  1807-8  ;  and  even  then  his  removal  from  Massachu- 
setts hither  depended  on  the  question  of  constructing  a 
bridge  at  this  point.  It  was  agreed  that  the  settlers  in  Pitts- 
ford,  Perrinton,  &;c.,  should  petition  the  Legislature  for  an 
act  authorizing  the  construction  of  the  bridge  ;  and  that  Mr. 
Stone  should  forward  the  object  by  attending  at  Albany  du- 
ring the  session  of  that  body.     The  bill  for  the  purpose  was 

*  A  son  of  Mr.  Stone,  born  in  1810,  was  the  first  white  person  born 
on  either  of  the  tracts  now  included  in  the  City  of  Rochester. 


24S        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

Strongly  opposed  by  some  members  as  imposing  an  unne- 
cessary tax  upon  the  people.  The  bridge  at  Avon  (nearly 
20  miles  southward)  was  said  to  be  sufficient  for  public  ac- 
commodation, while  it  was  alleged  there  was  nothing  in  or 
about  this  point  which  required  or  would  justify  the  erection 
of  an  additional  bridge.  "  It  is  a  God-forsaken  place !  in- 
habited by  muskrats,  visited  only  by  straggling  trappers, 
through  which  neither  man  nor  beast  could  gallop  without 
fear  of  starvation  or  fever  and  ague  !"  Such  was  almost  lit- 
erally the  character  by  which  the  tract  whereon  Rochester 
now  stands  (for  the  place  was  nameless  then)  was  stigma- 
tized in  the  New-York  Legislature  less  than  thirty  years 
ago  !  It  is  almost  superfluous  now  to  add,  that  the  repre- 
sentation was  considerably  exaggerated,  by  local  jealousy 
perhaps,  though  it  is  certain  that  the  then  prevalent  im- 
pression was  not  favourable  to  this  location  with  reference 
to  salubrity. 

Although  a  portion  of  the  tract  on  which  Rochester  stands 
was  originally  somewhat  marshy,  it  would  be  difficult  to  find 
in  or  around  any  city  an  equal  portion  of  territory  abounding 
with  locations  for  a  large  population  more  eligible  on  the 
score  of  health  or  beauty,  as  is  obvious  to  those  conversant 
with  our  localities  and  present  bills  of  mortality. 

The  bill  authorizing  the  construction  of  the  bridge  became 
a  law  ;  but  so  outrageous  was  it  considered  by  many,  that 
the  "  extravagant  folly"  of  taxing  the  people  for  bridging  in 
such  an  outlandish  place  was  frequently  reprobated  during 
the  ensuing  political  campaign  in  Ontario  county. 

The  bridge  was  commenced  in  the  following  year,  1810, 
and  finished  in  1812,  at  an  expense  of  $12,000,  taxed  from 
the  counties  of  Ontario  and  Genesee — the  river  being  then 
the  dividing  line  between  those  counties  (Monroe  County, 
of  which  Rochester  is  the  chief  town,  not  having  been 
erected  till  the  year  1821).  The  river  had  previously  been 
forded  at  this  place  on  the  rocky  bottom,  a  few  rods  south 
of  the  Canal  Aqueduct,  and  near  the  site  of  the  present  jail. 
Accidents  not  unfrequently  resulted  from  this  mode  of  cross- 
ing the  stream.  In  1805,  during  the  spring  freshet,  Messrs. 
Willis  Kempshall  and  William  Billinghurst,  while  crossing 
in  a  canoe  rowed  by  William  Cole  (the  only  man  then  res- 
ident hereabout  except  Mr.  Hanford),  narrowly  escaped  be- 
ing hurried  into  eternity — one  of  the  oars  having  broke,  and 
the  other  being  insufficient  to  guide  the  canoe  across  the 


INDIANS   AT   ROCHESTEK.  249 

flood.  Luckily,  the  branches  projecting  from  Brown's  Isl- 
and enabled  them  to  arrest  suddenly  their  bark,  which  an- 
other moment  might  have  dashed  over  the  awful  cataract  I 
A  shocking  catastrophe  occurred  in  the  spring  of  1812, 
before  the  bridge  was  finished.  A  farmer,  with  his  team  and 
wagon,  were  destroyed  by  being  swept  over  the  falls  (nearly 
a  hundred  feet  high)  from  which  Messrs.  Kempshall,  Bil- 
linghurst,  and  Cole  had  such  a  hairbreadth  escape,  and 
where  Sam  Patch  afterward  jumped  into  eternity  while  de- 
monstrating his  favourite  maxim  that  "  some  things  can  be 
done  as  well  as  others." 

At  the  time  of  the  first  settlements  there  were  numerous 
families  of  Indians  scattered  around  this  place.  Hot-bread, 
a  worthy  chief,  with  Tommy-jemmy,  Captain  Thompson, 
Blackbird,  and  some  other  red  men  of  note,  spent  part  of 
their  time  here  ;  and  as  late  as  1813  one  of  the  great  pagan 
festivals  (the  Sacrifice  of  the  Dog)  was  solemnized  publicly 
at  the  rising  ground  beside  which  the  Bethel  Church  now 
stands.  (See  Account  of  the  Religious  and  Social  Institutions 
of  Rochester.)  "  At  that  time,  the  swamps  back  of  the 
Mansion  House,  where  the  new  market  now  stands,  and 
around  the  bathing-house  in  Buffalo-street,  between  the 
Eagle  Tavern  and  United  States  Hotel,  were  filled  with 
rabbits,  partridges,  and  other  game  ;  and  deer  might  be  seen 
almost  any  day,  by  watching  at  the  '  Deer  Lick,'  about 
where  Reynolds  and  Bateham's  Horticultural  Establishment 
now  is,  at  the  corner  of  Buffalo  and  Sophia  streets ;  and  in 
1813  my  brother  shot  two  deer  where  is  now  the  heart  of 
the  city — one  at  the  west  end  of  the  main  bridge,  the  other 
near  where  Child's  Buildings  stand,  opposite  the  Rochester 
House,"  says  a  friend,  whose  reminiscences  are  elsewhere 
acknowledged. 


Note. — Sketches  of  "  first  settlement"  must  necessarily 
partake  largely  of  a  personal  character.  As  for  Rochester 
twenty  years  ago,  it  would  be  rather  difiicult  to  say  much 
without  referring  to  the  few  persons  who  then  constituted  the 
whole  population  of  the  tract  whereon  is  now  flourishing  one 
of  the  principal  cities  of  the  state.  The  enterprising  pioneers 
of  Rochester,  who  are  yet  mostly  living  among  us,  will  there- 
fore pardon  the  necessity  which  compels  the  chronicler  to 


250  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

make  them  figure  personally  in  these  "  annals  of  the  olden 
time,"  in  lieu  of  mayor,  aldermen,  and  other  high  function- 
aries with  which  our  goodly  place  is  now  dignified  by  virtue 
of  an  increased  population  and  its  city  charier. 

The  Scene  in  1811-12.— TAe  Bearfight. 

An  adventure  which  occurred  about  this  period  has  been 
employed  in  the  frontispiece  to  illustrate  the  contempora- 
neous condition  of  this  locality.  'I'he  shantees  there  de- 
picted were  the  only  frame  dwellings  then  at  this  place. 
One  of  them  was  occupied  by  Isaac  Stone,  the  other  by 
Enos  Stone.  The  singular  fact  that  some  of  the  early  set- 
tlers were  annoyed  by  wild  beasts  in  1812  should  not  be 
overlooked  among  the  reminiscences  connected  with  the 
"  ancient  days"  of  Rochester.  A  memorandum  of  the  bear- 
fight,  wherein  the  quadruped  fought  for  life  and  the  settler 
for  the  corn  requisite  to  preserve  his  family  from  hunger, 
has  been  furnished  by  a  friend  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for 
various  facts  concerning  those  "  good  old  times  :" 

*'  It  was  in  the  fall  of  1811  that  Enos  Stone  had  a  patch 
of  corn,  about  six  acres  in  extent.  This  coriipatch  was  on 
the  east  and  south  sides  of  his  little  dwelling,  which  stood 
near  the  bank  of  the  river,  beside  the  fording-place — for  the 
bridge  was  yet  unfinished.  Provisions  were  exceedingly 
scarce,  and  not  to  be  had  at  any  price,  except  to  prevent 
starvation,  Mr.  Stone  looked  upon  his  cornfield  witli  anx- 
iety, knowing  well  the  extent  of  his  dependance  upon  it  for 
the  then  approaching  winter.  Towards  the  ripening  of  the 
precious  crop,  he  found  that  much  would  be  lost  from  the 
depredations  of  the  wild  beasts  ;  and  at  lengtli  he  began  to 
tremble  for  the  whole  field,  when  he  found  that  an  old  she- 
bear  had  commenced  devastations  upon  it,  destroying  far 
more  than  she  devoured.  For  a  while  he  kept  her  at  bay  by 
leaving  out  his  dog  ;  till,  at  length,  the  imbold.^ned  bear 
would  chase  the  dog  even  to  the  doorstep.  Finding  that 
something  must  be  done  ;  that  he  could  not  hope  for  half  a 
crop  if  such  depredations  continued ;  and  that  he  could  not 
sleep  with  such  an  animal  prowling  about  his  dwelling,  Mr. 
Stone  turned  out  with  a  boy  and  a  rusty  gun  to  attack  the 
intruder  about  two  o'clock  one  morning.  The  bear  then 
took  refuge  in  a  tree,  whence  she  was  soon  dislodged  by  the 
smoke  of  a  fire  kindled  beneath.     She  fell  near  Mr.  Stone, 


FIRST    SETTLEMENTS.  251 

and,  after  a  short  contest  with  him  and  his  boy  and  dog,  fled 
to  another  tree.  She  was  dislodged  from  tliis  and  three 
other  trees  by  kindling  fires  beneath — when,  more  powder 
being  obtained  from  a  neighbour  (the  first  two  shots  proving 
ineffectual,  and  exhausting  all  his  own  powder),  Mr.  Stone 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  his  annoyer  disabled  to  such 
a  degree  as  to  fall  from  the  tree.  But,  though  fallen,  the 
bear  was  '  unconquered  still  ;'  and,  when  no  longer  able  to 
stand,  ttie  ferocious  brute  fought  upon  her  haunches,  like 
that  redoubtable  soldier  who, 

"  '  When  his  legs  were  cutted  off,  did  fight  upon  the  stumps.' 
She  kept  the  dog  at  bay,  and  parried  the  blows  of  her  as- 
sailants with  a  degree  of  skill  not  unworthy  of  a  profes- 
sional boxer.     But  her  shaggy  hide  soon  became  the  trophy 
of  him  whose  cornfield  she  had  measurably  devastated." 

Thus  recently  was  slain,  at  a  place  which  is  now  nearly 
central  in  a  population  of  20,000,  the  largest  bear  ever  found 
in  this  region.  The  fact  furnishes  a  striking  illustration  of 
the  greatness  and  suddenness  of  the  changes  which  the  first 
settlers  of  Rochester  have  witnessed. 

First  Allotment  and  Settlement. 

The  first  allotments  for  a  village  were  made  in  1812  ; 
when  Nathaniel  Rochester,  Charles  H.Carroll,  and  William 
Fitzhugh  surveyed  the  Hundred-acre  Tract  for  settlement 
under  the  name  of  "  Rochester."  The  history  of  this  tract  is 
elsewhere  particularly  traced  ;  and  it  is  sufficient  now  to  say 
that  it  was  the  same  land  which  Phelps  and  Gorham  deeded 
to  Indian  Allen  in  1790,  on  consideration  of  having  a  mill 
erected  to  accommodate  the  few  settlers  in  the  surrounding 
country.  It  was  part  of  the  larger  tract  of  twelve  by  twenty- 
four  miles  on  the  west  side  of  the  Genesee,  which  Phelps 
and  Gorham  had  previously  obtained  from  the  Indians  for 
the  purposes  of  a  millyard!  It  had  passed  from  Allen  into 
the  possession  of  Sir  William  Pulteney — from  the  agent  of 
whose  estate  (Charles  Williamson)  it  was  purchased  in  1802 
for  $i7y%''„  per  acre  by  the  persons  who  thus  made  arrange- 
ments for  founding  a  village  upon  it.  This  Hundred-acre 
Tract,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  mapof  Rochester,  lies  directly 
abreast  and  west  of  the  First  Falls,  from  the  dam  at  which 
water  is  now  conveyed  in  races  for  valuable  machinery  on 
both  sides  of  the  river. 


252  SKETCHES    OP   ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

Other  allotments  for  settlement  were  made  during  the 
same  year.  Immediately  north  of  the  Hundred-acre  or 
Rochester  Tract,  Matthew  and  Francis  Brown  and  Thomas 
Mumford  bought  and  laid  out  the  tract  directly  abreast  and 
west  of  the  main  or  Middle  Falls,  which  are  ninety-six  feet 
high,  and  from  a  dam  at  which  water  is  now  thrown  into 
races  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  This  tract  was  previously 
occupied  by  Mr.  Hanford,  who  had  a  couple  of  loghouses, 
and  likewise  a  little  mill,  which  is  noticed  in  connexion  with 
the  Allen  mill  in  the  account  of  tlie  "Early  Millers  of  the 
Genesee."  The  allotment  was  called  "  Frankfort,"  after  the 
name  of  Francis  Brown.  Opposite  this  Frankfort  Tract,  and 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Main  Falls,  Samuel  I.  Andrews  and 
Moses  Atwater  laid  out  a  tract  of  considerable  size  during 
the  same  year — the  millrace  on  which  now  derives  water 
from  the  same  dam  that  supplies  the  Frankfort  tract. 

[The  farm  of  Enos  Stone,  whereon  the  bearfight  occur- 
red, was  not  divided  into  lots  till  1817,  when  a  portion  of 
it  was  included  with  the  other  tracts  in  the  village  corpora- 
tion, and  surveyed  and  subdivided  by  Elisha  Johnson,  a 
purchaser  from  Mr.  Stone.  It  lies  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river  at  the  First  Fall,  opposite  the  original  Rochester  Tract 
— the  same  dam  supplying  water  to  the  machinery  on  both 
sides  at  that  point.] 

The  condition  of  these  tracts  at  the  period  of  these  prepar- 
atory arrangements  may  be  inferred  from  the  preceding  re- 
marks by  De  Witt  Clinton  and  others.  The  first  dwelling 
on  the  Rochester  or  Hundred-acre  Tract  was  erected  by 
Hamlet  Scrantom  in  1812,  where  the  Eagle  Tavern  now 
stands.  During  the  same  season,  Ira  West  opened  a  small 
store  of  goods  on  the  same  tract,  and  Abelard  Reynolds  was 
appointed  postmaster.  The  whole  receipts  of  the  postoffice 
for  the  first  quarter  fell  short  of  three  dollars  and  fifty  cents. 
On  the  Stone  farm,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  Isaac 
W.  Stone  opened  a  small  tavern,  which  was  the  only  one 
at  Rochester  for  two  or  three  years.  This  tavern  was  one 
of  the  two  little  frame  dwellings  that  existed  hereabout  in  the 
beginning  of  1812 — as  represented  in  the  frontispiece  of  this 
work.  [It  yet  remains — a  frail  monument  of  "  ancient 
times" — in  St.  Paul's-street,  opposite  the  second  Methodist 
Church.] 

"  In  1813  there  were  three  houses  built  and  occupied  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river,"  says  an  authentic  account  of 


EFFECTS    OF   THE    LAST   WAR.  253 

those  primitive  days.  "  The  land  where  the  county  build- 
ings (courthouse,  &c.)  now  stand  was  cleared,  sown  with 
wheat,  and  afterward  used  as  a  pasture."  The  first  Pres- 
byterian and  St.  Luke's  churches  are  also  among  the  edi- 
fices which  have  been  erected  since  in  this  pasture  lot.  Ex- 
.  cepting  a  millrace  opened  by  Rochester  &  Co.,  there  is  no- 
thing further  noticed  of  the  progress  of  improvement  in  these 
parts  in  1813. 

In  1814  some  attempts  were  made  to  commence  mercan- 
tile operations  ;  but  that  little  improvement  could  have  been 
made  during  that  year,  or  for  some  time  afterward,  wiH 
appear  from  the  sequel. 

Effects  of  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain  in  retarding  the 
progress  of  Rochester. 

The  settlement  of  Rochester,  commenced  almost  simul- 
taneously with  the  last  war  between  this  country  and  Great 
Britain,  was  almost  wholly  checked  by  the  alarm  created 
by  the  movements  of  the  belligerents.  The  hostiliiies  along 
the  Niagara  caused  a  concentration  of  troops  there,  which  left 
defenceless  this  point,  then  comparatively  unimportant.  The 
mouth  of  the  Genesee  was  therefore  not  unfrequentlv  visited 
by  the  British  fleet  under  Sir  James  Yeo,  commander  of  the 
hostile  forces  on  Lake  Ontario.  The  apprehension  of  attack 
prevented  many  from  settling  here  as  they  had  designed, 
and  even  caused  the  removal  to  more  secure  places  of  some 
who  had  already  located  hereabout. 

The  distress  of  which  the  war  was  productive  in  this 
region  was  vividly  portrayed  in  1814  by  the  "  Committee  of 
Safety  and  Relief"  at  Canandaigua,  in  a  communication  to 
the  mayor  and  other  citizens  of  New-York.  Among  the  pa- 
pers of  the  New-York  Historical  Society  that  communica- 
tion is  preserved  ;  and  from  it  a  copy  has  been  procured,  the 
msertion  of  which  here  may  be  excused  by  the  fact  that  its 
general  statements  are  not  inapplicable  to  the  then  condition 
of  Rochester  and  its  vicinity,  threatened  by  the  frequent  ap- 
pearance of  the  British  fleet  on  the  lake  ofT  the  mouth  of  the 
Genesee.     The  letter  ran  thus  : 

"  Canandaigua,  8th  January,  1814. 
"  Gentlemen— Niagara  county,  and  that  part  of  Genesee 
which  lies  west  of  Batavia,  are  completely  depopulated.     All 
the  settlements,  in  a  section  of  country  forty  miles  square, 
22 


254        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

and  which  contained  more  than  twelve  thousand  souls,  are 
effectually  broken  up.  These  facts  you  are  undoubtedly 
acquainted  with ;  but  the  distresses  they  have  produced 
none  but  an  eyewitness  can  thoroughly  appreciate.  Our 
roads  are  filled  with  people,  many  of  whom  have  been  re- 
duced from  a  state  of  competence  and  good  prospects  to  the 
last  degree  of  want  and  sorrow.  So  sudden  was  the  blow 
by  which  they  have  been  crushed,  that  no  provision  could 
be  made  either  to  elude  or  to  meet  it.  The  fugitives  from 
Niagara  county  especially  were  dispersed  under  circum- 
stances of  so  much  terror,  that,  in  some  cases,  mothers  find 
themselves  wandering  with  strange  children,  and  children 
are  seen  accompanied  by  such  as  have  no  other  sympathies 
with  them  than  those  of  common  sufferings.  Of  the  families 
thus  separated  all  the  members  can  never  again  meet  in  this 
life  ;  for  the  same  violence  which  has  made  them  beggars  has 
deprived  some  of  their  heads  and  others  of  their  branches. 
Afflictions  of  the  mind  so  deep  as  have  been  allotted  to  these 
unhappy  peojtle  we  cannot  cure.  They  can  probably  be 
subdued  only  by  his  power  who  can  wipe  away  all  tears. 
But  shall  we  not  endeavour  to  assuage  them  1  To  their 
bodily  wants  we  can  certainly  administer.  The  inhabitants 
of  Canandaigua  have  made  large  contributions  for  their  re- 
lief, in  provisions,  clothing,  and  money.  And  we  have  been 
appointed,  among  other  things,  to  solicit  further  relief  for 
them  from  our  wealthy  and  liberal-minded  fellow-citizens. 
In  pursuance  of  this  appointment,  may  we  ask  you,  gentle- 
men, to  interest  yourselves  particularly  in  their  behalf!  We 
believe  that  no  occasion  has  ever  occurred  in  our  country 
which  presented  stronger  claims  upon  individual  benevo- 
lence ;  and  we  humbly  trust  that  whoever  is  willing  to 
answer  these  claims  will  always  entitle  himself  to  the 
precious  rewards  of  active  charity. 

(Signed),        "  Wm.  Shepard,         Thad.  Chapin, 
"  Moses  Atwater,       N.  Gorham, 
"  Z.  Seymour,  Thos.  Beals, 

"  Myron  Holley,        Phineas  P.  Bates, 
"  Committee  of  Safety  and  Relief." 

This  letter  was  addressed  to  DeWitt  Clinton,  then  mayor 
of  New-York  city,  and  to  Col.  Robert  Troup,  Gen.  Clarkson, 
John  B.  Coles,  Thos.  Morris,  Moses  Rogers,  Robert  Bowne, 
and  Thomas  Eddy. 


THREATENED    NAVAL    ATTACK.  255 

An  endorsement  appears  on  the  letter,  to  the  efl'ect  that 
*'  resolutions  proposed  by  the  recorder  ( Josiah  Ogden 
Hoffman)  were  passed  unanimously  by  the  New-York  cor- 
poration, granting  $3000  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers," 
dated  January  24,  1814.  On  the  18th  of  February  the 
Legislature  appropriated  $50,000  "  for  the  relief  of  the  in- 
digent sufferers  in  the  counties  of  Genesee  and  Niagara,  in 
consequence  of  the  invasion  of  the  western  frontier  of  the 
state,  including  the  Tuscarora  nation  of  Indians  and  the 
Canadian  refugees  :  the  money  to  be  distributed  by  Graham 
Newell,  William  Wadsworth,  and  Joseph  EUicott." 

A  serious  alarm,  attended  by  some  amusing  consequences, 
occurred  in  May,  1814,  when  Sir  James  Yeo,  with  a  fleet 
of  thirteen  vessels  of  various  sizes,  appeared  off  the  mouth 
of  the  Genesee,  threatening  the  destruction  of  the  rude  im- 
provements in  and  around  Rochester.  Messengers  were 
despatched  to  arouse  the  people  in  the  surrounding  country 
for  defence  against  the  threatened  attack.  There  were  then 
but  thirty-three  people  in  Rochester  capable  of  bearing 
arms.  This  little  band  threw  up  a  breastwork  called  Fort 
Bender,  near  the  Deep  Hollow,  beside  the  Lower  Falls,  and 
hurried  down  to  the  junction  of  the  Genesee  and  Lake  On- 
tario, five  miles  north  of  the  present  city  limits,  where  the 
enemy  threatened  to  land ;  leaving  behind  them  two  old 
men,  with  some  young  lads,  to  remove  the  women  and  chil- 
dren into  the  woods,  in  case  the  British  should  atiompt  to 
land  for  the  capture  of  the  provisions  and  destruction  of  the 
bridge  at  Rochester,  &c.  Francis  Brown  and  Elisha  Ely 
acted  as  captains,  and  Isaac  W.  Stone  as  major,  of  the  Ro- 
chester forces,  which  were  strengthened  by  the  additions 
that  could  be  made  from  this  thinly-settled  region.  Though 
the  equipments  and  discipline  of  these  troops  would  not 
form  a  brilliant  picture  for  a  warlike  eye,  their  very  aM-k- 
wardness  in  those  points,  coupled  as  it  was  with  their  saga- 
city and  courage,  accomplished  more  perhaps  than  could  have 
been  effected  by  a  larger  force  of  regular  troops  bedizzened 
with  the  trappings  of  military  pomp.  The  militia  thus  hast- 
ily collected  were  marched  and  countermarched,  disappear- 
ing in  the  woods  at  one  point  and  suddenly  emerging  else- 
where, so  as  to  impress  the  enemy  with  the  belief  that  the 
force  collected  for  defence  was  far  greater  than  it  actually 
was.  (The  circumstances  here  related  are  substantially  as 
mentioned  to  the  writer  by  one  who  was  then  and  is  now 


256  SKETCHES   OF   ROCQESTER,    ETC. 

a  resident  of  Rochester.)  An  officer  with  a  flag  of  truce 
was  sent  from  llie  British  fleet.  A  militia  officer  marched 
down,  with  ten  of  tlie  most  soldierhke  men,  to  receive  him 
on  Lighthouse  Point.  These  mihliamen  carried  their  guns 
as  nearly  upright  as  might  be  consistent  with  tlieir  plan 
of  being  ready  for  action  by  keeping  hold  of  the  triggers  ! 
The  British  officer  was  astonished  :  he  "  looked  unutterable 
things."  "Sir,"  said  he,  "do  you  receive  a  flag  of  truce 
under  arms,  with  cocked  triggers?"  "Excuse  me,  excuse 
me,  sir :  we  backwoodsmen  are  not  well  versed  in  military 
tactics,"  replied  the  American  officer,  who  promptly  sought 
io  rectify  his  error  by  ordering  his  men  to  '■'■ground  arms !^' 
The  Briton  was  still  more  astonished  ;  and,  after  delivering  a 
brief  message,  immediately  departed  for  the  fleet,  indica- 
ting by  his  countenance  a  suspicion  that  the  ignorance  of 
tactics  which  he  had  witnessed  was  all  feigned  for  the  oc- 
casion, so  as  to  deceive  the  Britisli  commodore  into  a  snare  ! 
Shortly  afterward,  on  the  same  day,  another  officer  came 
ashore  witli  a  flag  of  truce  for  farther  parley,  as  the  Britisli 
were  evidently  too  suspicious  of  stratagem  to  attempt  a  hos- 
tile landing  if  there  was  any  possibility  of  compromising  for 
the  spoils.  Capt.  Francis  Brown  was  deputed  with  a  guard 
to  receive  the  last  flag  of  truce.  The  British  officer  looked 
suspiciously  upon  him  and  upon  his  guard  ;  and,  after  some 
conversation,  familiarly  grasped  the  pantaloons  of  Capt.  B. 
about  the  knee,  remarking,  as  he  firmly  handled  it,  '•  Your 
cloth  is  too  good  to  be  spoiled  by  such  a  bungling  tailor  ;" 
alluding  to  the  width  and  clumsy  aspect  of  that  garment. 
Brown  was  quickwitted  as  well  as  resolute,  and  replied 
jocosely  that  "  he  was  prevented  from  dressing  fashionably 
by  his  haste  that  morning  to  salute  such  distinguished  vis- 
iters !"  The  Briton  obviously  imagined  that  Brown  was  a 
regular  officer  of  the  American  army,  whose  regimentals 
were  masked  by  clumsy  overclothes.  The  proposition  was 
then  made,  that,  if  the  Americans  would  deliver  up  the  pro- 
Visions  and  military  stores  which  might  be  in  and  around 
Rochester  or  Charlotte,  Sir  James  Yeo  would  spare  the 
settlements  from  destruction.  "•  Will  you  comply  with  the 
offer  ?"  "  Blood  knee-deep  first .'"  was  the  emphatic  reply 
of  Francis  Brown. 

While  this  parley  was  in  progress,  an  American  officer, 
with  his  staff",  returning  from  the  Niagara  frontier,  was  ac- 
cidentally seen  passing  from  one  wooded  point  to  another ; 


THE    CLOSE    OF    THE    WAR.  257 

and  this,  with  other  circumstances,  afforded  to  the  British 
"  confirmation  strong"  that  their  suspicions  were  well  found- 
ed ;  that  there  was  a  considerable  American  army  collected  ; 
and  that  the  Yankee  officers  shammed  ignorance  for  the 
purpose  of  entrapping  ashore  the  commodore  and  his  forces  ! 
The  return  of  the  last  flag  to  the  fleet  was  followed  by  a 
vigorous  attack  in  bombs  and  balls,  while  the  compliment 
was  spiritedly  returned,  not  without  some  effect  on  at  least 
one  of  the  vessels,  by  a  rusty  old  six-pounder,  which  had 
been  furbished  and  mounted  on  a  log  for  the  important  oc- 
casion. After  a  few  hours  spent  in  this  unavailing  manner, 
Admiral  Yeo  run  down  to  Pulteneyville,  about  20  miles 
eastward  of  Genesee  River,  where,  on  learning  how  they 
had  been  outwitted  and  deterred  from  landing  by  such  a 
handful  of  militia,  their  mortification  could  scarcely  restrain 
all  hands  from  a  hearty  laugh  at  the  "  Yankee  trick." 

The  Close  of  the  War 

Permitted  the  checked  tide  of  improvement  to  roll  onward 
again. 

In  1815,  Hervey  Ely,  Josiah  Bissell,  and  Elisha  Ely 
finished  the  "  red  mill"  (afterward  called  the  Hydraulic 
Building,  and  now  burnt).  Samuel  Hildreth,  of  Pittsford, 
commenced  running  a  stage  with  a  mail  twice  a  week  be- 
tween Rochester  and  Canandaigua  ;  and  a  private  weekly 
raailroute  was  established  between  Rochester  and  Lewis- 
ton,  dependant  for  support  on  the  income  of  the  postoffices 
on  the  route. 

In  1816,  the  first  religious  society  (Presbyterian)  was 
formed,  consisting  of  16  members — a  small  paper  called  the 
Rochester  Gazette  was  commenced — a  millrace  was  fin- 
ished by  Brown  and  Mumford,  and  a  cotton  factory  was 
commenced  on  the  Frankfort  Tract — a  tavern  was  opened  by 
Abelard  Reynolds  on  the  Hundred-acre  Tract,  Buffalo-street 
— a  commencement  was  made  in  the  business  of  purchasing 
produce  from  the  neighbouring  country.  The  population, 
numbering  331  at  the  beginning  of  the  year,  was  not  ascer- 
tained at  the  close. 

Thus  have  we  traced  all  that  we  find  worthy  of  notice  as 
illustrative  of  the  condition  of  the  place  previous  to  the  act 
by  which  was  created 

22* 


258     SKETCHES  or  Rochester,  etc. 

The  Village  of  Rochesterville  in  1817 — 

From  which  period  the  commencement  of  Rochester  may 
be  fairly  daied,  the  dilhcuhies  interposed  by  the  war  having 
prevented  any  considernble  improvement  before  the  year 
1816.  The  improvement  of  the  place  in  various  ways  be- 
tween that  period  and  the  year  1337 — forming  the  first  score 
of  years  since  the  place  was  lawfully  organized  under  a 
village  charier — are  sketched  under  appropriate  heads.  We 
preface  the  account  by  s(jme  notices  of  the  proceedings  of 
the  Corporation,  under  the  village  and  city  charters,  between 
the  years  1817  and  1837 — the  first  twenty  years. 

Corporation  of  Rochester. 
(The  persons  marked  thus  *  are  dead — the  absent  thus  f.) 

1817.  June  10.  The  first  board  of  trustees  elected  under 
the  village  charter  consisted  of  Francis  Brown,*  President; 
William  Cobb,*  Everard  Peck,  Daniel  Mack,t  Jchiel  Bar- 
nard. Hastings  R.  Bender,  Clerk ;  Frederic  F.  Backus, 
Treasurer. 

First  fire  company  formed,  October  9,  1817. 

1818.  May.  The  election  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Fran- 
cis Brown,  Daniel  Mack,  Everard  Peck,  Isaac  Colvin.t  Ira 
West.*  Mr.  Brown,  Presiilent ;  Moses  Chapin,  Clerk ; 
Frederic  F.  Backus,  Treasurer. 

1819.  No  election  held — the  old  trustees  continued  in  of- 
fice. The  name  of  the  village  corporation  was  changed 
from  "  Rochesterville'"  to  "  Rochester,"  the  original  name, 
by  an  act  of  the  Legislature. 

1820.  The  new  board  consisted  of  Matthew  Brown,  Jr., 
Moses  Chapin,  William  Cobb,  Charles  J.  Hill,  Elisha  Tay- 
lor.* M.  Brown,  Jr.,  President;  Moses  Chapin,  Clerk; 
F.  F.  Backus,  Treasurer. 

1821.  The  only  change  in  the  board  consisted  in  the 
choice  of  Warham  Whitney  in  place  of  VV.  Cobb,  deceased. 

1822.  The  board  consisted  of  M.  Brown,  Jr.,  President, 
H.  R.  Bender,!  Charles  J.  Hill,  S.  Melancton  Smith,* 
Warham  Whitney.  H.  R.  Bender,  Clerk ;  F.  F.  Backus, 
Treasurer. 

1823.  M.  Brown,  Jr.,  President;  Jacob  Graves,  William 
P.  Sherman,*  Abner  Wakelee,  S.  M.  Smith.  Rufus  Beach,t 
Clerk ;  F.  F.  Backus,  Treasurer. 

1824.  John  W.  Strong,!  President ;  Warham  Whitney, 


CORPORATION  OF  ROCHESTER.         259 

Anson  Coleman,*   Jonathan   Packard,    Ashbel  W.  Riley. 
R.  Beach,  Clerk  ;  F.  F.  Backus,  Treasurer. 

1825.  The  povvers  granted  to  tlie  village  corporation 
were  found  to  be  inadequate  to  a  good  police  regulation  ; 
and  the  question  was  agitated  during  the  fail,  whether  ap- 
plication should  be  made  for  a  city  charter,  instead  of  apply- 
ing for  an  increase  of  power  to  the  old  corporation  ;  but, 
after  considerable  discussion,  the  project  of  a  city  charter 
was  declined  by  the  people,  and  the  Legislature  amended 
the  village  charier  by  vesting  ampler  povvers  in  the  board  of 
trustees. 

1825.  M.  Brown,  Jr.,  President;  Phelps  Smith,*  Frederic 
Starr,  William  Rathbun,t  Gilbert  Everughim.*  R.  Beach, 
Clerk  ;  F.  F.  Backus.  Treasurer. 

1826.  First  election  under  a  new  village  charter.  The 
village  divided  into  five  wards.  Trustees  elected  :  first  ward, 
Wm.  Brewster;  second,  M.  Brown,  Jr.  ;  third,  Vincent  Mat- 
thews; fourth,  John  Mastick  ;*  fifth,  Giles  Boulton.j  Rufus 
Beach,  Clerk;  F.  F.  Backus,  Treasurer ;  Raphael  Beach, 
Constable  and  Collector.     The  president  was  M.  Brown,  Jr. 

1827.  First  ward,  Frederic  Whittlesey;  second,  Ezra 
M.  Parsons  ;  third,  Jonathan  Child  ;  fourth,  Elisha  Johnson; 
fifth,  A.  V.  T.  Leavitt.  Elisha  Johnson,  President;  Rufus 
Beach,  Clerk;  John  B.  Elwood,  Treasurer;  Stephen  Sy- 
monds,t  Collector. 

1828.  First  ward,  Ebenezer  Ely  ;  second,  E.  M.  Parsons ; 
third,  Ephraim  Moore ;  fourth,  Elisha  Johnson ;  fifth,  Na- 
thaniel Rossiter.f  E.Johnson,  President;  F.  Whittlesey, 
Clerk;  F.  F.  Backus,  Treasurer;  D.  D.  Hatch,*  Collector. 

1829.  First  ward,  John  Haywood  ;  second,  S.  S.  Allcott;t 
third,  Robert  L.  M'CoUum  ;  fourth,  Elisha  Johnson;  fifth, 
Wm.  H.  Ward.  E.  Johnson,  President;  Hestor  L.  Ste- 
vens, Clerk ;  Seth  Saxton,*  Treasurer ;  Robert  H.  Stevens,! 
Collector. 

1830.  First  ward,  William  Pease  ;t  second,  Joseph  Med- 
bery  ;  third,  Jonathan  Child,  in  place  of  J.  Packard,  declined; 
fourth,  Adonijah  Green;  fifth,  H.  Bissell.  J.  Medbery, 
President;  Samuel  L.  Selden  and  Isaac  R.  Elwood,  Clerks  ; 
Seth  Saxton,  Treasurer ;  A.  Newton,  Collector. 

1831.  First  ward,  Rufus  Meech  ;  second,  M.  Brown,  Jr. ; 
third,  Jacob  Thorn  ;  fourth,  Harvey  Humphrey ;  fifth,  N. 
Rossiter  (President).  A.  W.  Stowe,  Clerk;  Eben.  Ely, 
Treasurer;  Lester  Beardslee,*  Collector.    .    . 


260         SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

1832.  First  ward,  Samuel  L.  Selden  ;  second,  William 
Rathbun  ;t  third,  Jacob  Thorn  ;  fourth,  Daniel  Tinker  ;  fifth, 
Orrin  E.  Gibbs.  J.  Thorn,  President ;  A.  W.  Slovve,  Clerk; 
Eben.  Ely,  Treasurer  ;  Seth  Simmons,!  Collector. 

1833.  First  ward,  Wm.  E.  Laihrop  ;  second,  Fletcher  M. 
Haight ;  third,  E.  F.  Marshall;  fourth,  Daniel  'J'inker  ;t 
fifth,  N.  Draper.  F.  M.  Haight,  President;  Isaac  K.  El- 
wood,  Clerk  ;  Ebenezer  Watts,  Treasurer  ;  James  Caldwell, 
Collector. 

First  election  under  the  City  Charter. 

1834.  After  several  applications  made  to  the  Legislature, 
and  after  controversies  respecting  the  mode  of  appointing 
justices  of  the  peace  had  defeated  the  passage  of  an  act  for 
the  purpose  at  the  previous  session,  the  City  of  Rochester 
was  chartered  in  the  spring  of  1834. 

On  the  incorporation  of  the  village  in  1817,  about  750 
acres  were  included  within  its  limits.  The  city  charter  in 
1834  extended  the  bounds  so  as  to  embrace  upward  of  four 
thousand  acres.  For  a  considerable  distance  in  the  northern 
part,  the  city  includes  a  comparatively  narrow  strip  on  both 
sides  of  the  river— being  thus  extended  northward  so  as  to 
comprehend  the  Lower  Falls  and  the  Ontario  Steamboat 
Landing — as  may  be  seen  by  the  map  of  the  city  presented 
in  this  volume.  The  lands  thus  brought  under  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  corporation  was  part  of  the  Carthage  Tract  on 
the  east  and  the  M'Cracken  Tract  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Lower  Falls  and  Steamboat  Landing  ;  notices  of  which 
tracts  are  elsewhere  given. 

1834.  June.  Three  supervisors  were  elected  by  general 
ticket,  viz.,  Erasmus  D.  Smith,  Abraham  M.  Schermerhorn, 
and  Horace  Hooker.     The  aldermen  and  assistants  were — 

First  ward,  Lewis  Brooks,  Alderman ;  John  Jones,  As- 
sistant. 

Second,  Thomas  Kempshall,  Alderman  ;  Elijah  F.  Smith, 
Assistant. 

Third,  Frederic  F.  Backus,  Alderman  ;  Jacob  Thorn, 
Assistant. 

Fourth,  A.  W.  Riley,  Alderman ;  Lansing  B.  Swan,  As- 
sistant. 

Fifth,  Jacob  Graves,  Alderman  ;  Henry  Kennedy,!  As- 
sistant. 

The  first  mayor  elected   by  this  board  was  Jonathan 


OFFICERS   OF   THE    CITY.  261 

Child  ;  Vincent  Matthews,  Attorney  and  Counsel ;  Samuel 
Works,!  Superintendent;  John  C.  Nash,  Clerk;  E.  F. 
Marshall,  Treasurer  ;  William  H.  Ward,  Chief  En^^ineer. 

1835.  The  supervisors  elected  were  Joseph  Medbery, 
Charles  J.  Hill,  Jared  Newell.  The  aldermen  and  assist- 
ants were — 

First  ward,  Hestor  L.  Stevens,  William  E.  Lathrop. 

Second,  M.  Brown,  Jr.,  J.  H.  Blanchard. 

Third,  James  Seymour,  Erastus  Cook. 

Fourth,  Joseph  Halsey,  Nathaniel  Bingham. 

Fifth,  Isaac  R.  Elvvood,  Butler  Bardwell. 

Jacob  Gould  was  chosen  Mayor ;  Ashley  Samson,  Attor- 
ney and  Counsel ;  Kiiian  H.  Van  Rensselaer,  Superintend- 
ent ;  Theodore  Sedgwick,!  Treasurer ;  Ariel  Wentworth, 
Clerk  ;  William  H.  Ward,  Chief  Engineer ;  L.  B.  King, 
Marshal. 

1836.  March.  An  amendment  to  the  charter  allowed  a 
supervisor  to  be  chosen  in  each  ward.     There  were  elected, 

First  ward,  Maliby  Strong,  Supervisor  ;  A.  S.  Alexander,* 
Alderman  ;  J.  Haywood,  Assistant. 

Second  ward,  Joseph  Medbery,  Supervisor ;  Warham 
Whitney,  Alderman  ;  Joseph  Alleyn,  Assistant. 

Third  ward,  Thomas  H.  Rochester,  Supervisor  ;  Joseph 
Strong,  Alderman;  Jonathan  Packard,  Assistant. 

Fourth  ward,  Elisha  Johnson,  Supervisor  ;  Manly  G. 
Woodbury,  Alderman;  Mitchel  Loder,  Assistant. 

Fifth  ward,  Elisha  B.  Strong,  Supervisor;  William  H. 
Ward,  Alderman  ;  David  Scoville,  Assistant. 

Abraham  M.  Schermerhorn  was  elected  mayor,  and  on 
his  resignation  in  a  kw  weeks  Thomas  Kempshall  was 
elected  to  the  vacant  mayoralty.  William  S.  Bishop,  At- 
torney and  Counsel;  Theodore  Chapin,  Superintendent; 
Patrick  G.  Buchan  and  Jasper  W.  Gilbert,  Clerks  ;  Erasmus 
D.  Smith,  Treasurer ;  Theodore  Chapin,  Chief  Engineer  ; 
Joseph  Putnam,  Marshal. 

1837.  The  elections  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  follow- 
ing persons : 

First  ward,  Lyman  B.  Langworthy,  Supervisor;  Hestor 
L.  Stevens,  Alderman;  Kiiian  H.  Van  Rensselaer,  As- 
sistant. 

Second  ward,  John  Williams,  Supervisor;  Sylvester  H. 
Packard,  Alderman  ;  W.  Barron  Williams,  Assistant. 

Third  ward,  Thomas  H.  Rochester,  Supervisor  ;  Joseph 
Strong,  Alderman  ;  John  Hawkes,  Assistant. 


262  SKETCHES   OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

Fourth  ward,  James  H.  Gregory,  Supervisor ;  M.  G. 
Woodbury,  Alderman  ;   Schuyler  Moses,  Assistant. 

Fifth  ward,  Jared  Newell,  Supervisor  ;  Lewis  K.  Faulk- 
ner, Alderman  ;  James  Williams,  Assistant. 

Elisha  Johnson  was  elected  mayor ;  Ashley  Samson, 
Attorney  and  Counsel ;  Isaac  R.  Elwood,  Clerk ;  Alfred 
Judson,  Cliief  Engineer  ;  Lucius  B.  King,  Marshal. 

1838.  Another  amendment  of  the  city  charter  abolished 
the  distinction  of  alderman  and  assistant,  and  provided  that 
the  aldermen  should  be  divided  into  two  classes,  one  of 
which  should  be  elected  for  two  years,  and  the  other  for 
one  year.  The  elections  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  fol- 
lowing persons  : 

1838.  March.  First  ward,  Thomas  J.  Patterson,  Super- 
visor;  Abelard  Reynolds  and  Stephen  Charles,  Aldermen. 

Second  ward,  Elijah  F.  Smith,  Supervisor;  John  Allen 
and  J.  F.  Mack,  Aldermen. 

Third  ward,  E.  D.  Smith,  Supervisor;  Joseph  Strong 
and  John  D.  Hawkes,  Aldermen. 

Fourth  ward,  Thomas  Kempshall,  Supervisor ;  Elias 
Pond  and  M.  Warner,  Aldermen. 

Fifth  ward,  Horace  Hooker,  Supervisor;  Samuel  G.  An- 
drews and  Orrin  E.  Gibbs,  Aldermen. 

Frederic  Whittlesey,  Attorney  and  Counsel ;  Theodore 
B.  Hamilton,  Clerk ;  Elisha  F.  Marshall,  Treasurer ;  and 
Pardon  D.  Wright,  Superintendent. 

Isaac  Hills  is  now,  and  has  been  since  the  first  organiza- 
tion under  the  city  charter,  recorder  of  the  city. 

The  clerks  of  the  Mayor's  Court  have  been  Jasper  W. 
Gilbert,  from  July,  1834,  to  July,  1835  ;  Patrick  G.  Buchan, 
from  July,  1835,  to  July,  1836  ;  and  Hiram  Leonard,  from 
that  period,  the  present  incumbent. 


THE   MAYORS   OF   ROCHESTER. 

Jonathan  Child,  Mayor. — 1834-5. 

The  organization  of  Rochester  under  the  city  charter  oc- 
curred in  June,  1834.  The  election  for  supervisors,  al- 
dermen, and  certain  other  officers,  took  place  on  the  second 
day  of  that  month,  as  already  stated. 


THE   MAYORS    OP    ROCHESTER.  263 

The  Common  Council,  on  the  ninth,  elected  Jonathan 
Child  as  mayor  of  the  city.  At  the  inauguration  on  the 
following  day,  the  mayor,  after  referring  to  the  spirit  in 
which  the  affairs  of  the  corporation  should  be  conducted, 
made  some  appropriate  remarks  on  the  growth  and  pros- 
perity of  the  city. 

"  The  rapid  progress  which  <  ur  place  has  made,  from  a 
wilderness  to  an  incorporated  city,"  said  the  mayor,  "  au- 
thorizes each  of  our  citizens  proudly  to  reflect  upon  the 
agency  he  has  had  in  bringing  about  this  great  and  inter- 
esting change.  Rochester,  we  all  know,  has  had  little  aid 
in  its  permanent  improvement  from  foreign  capital.  It  has 
been  settled  and  built,  for  the  most  part,  by  mechanics  and 
merchants,  whose  capital  was  economy,  industry,  and  per- 
severance. It  is  their  labour  and  skill  which  has  converted 
a  wilderness  into  a  city  ;  and  to  them  surely  this  must  be  a 
day  of  pride  and  joy.  They  have  founded  and  reared  a  city 
before  they  have  passed  the  meridian  of  life.  In  other 
countries  and  times,  the  City  of  Rochester  would  have  been 
the  result  of  the  labour  and  accumulations  of  successive 
generations ;  but  the  men  who  felled  the  forest  that 
grew  on  the  spot  where  we  are  assembled,  are  sitting  at 
the  council-board  of  our  city.  Well  then  may  we  in- 
dulge an  honest  pride  as  we  look  back  upon  our  history,  and 
let  the  review  elevate  our  hopes  and  animate  our  exertions. 
Together  we  have  struggled  through  the  hardships  of  an 
infant  settlement  and  the  embarrassments  of  straitened 
circumstances  ;  and  together  let  us  rejoice  and  be  happy  in 
the  glorious  reward  that  has  crowned  our  labours.  We 
have  no  conflicting  interests — we  ought  to  have  no  hostile 
feelings.  The  competition  of  business  or  the  ardour  of 
political  excitement  may  for  a  moment  arouse  unfriendly 
sentiments  ;  but  we  should  be  as  unwise  as  it  regards  our 
own  happiness,  as  we  should  be  unjust  to  those  with  whom 
we  differ,  should  we  permit  such  sentiments  to  survive  the 
contest  which  gave  them  birth.  Conscious  ourselves  in 
public  concerns  of  an  honest  zeal  for  the  public  good,  let  us 
concede  to  others  the  same  integrity  of  purpose,  and  ascribe 
our  different  opinions  to  the  different  points  from  which  we 
examine  the  same  subject.  In  the  intercourse  of  social  life, 
and  on  all  occasions  involving  the  interests  of  our  new  city, 
let  us  forget  our  politics  and  our  party,  and  remember  only 
that  our  friends  and  fellow-citizens  have  conferred  upon  us 


264  SKETCHES   OF   ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

confidence  and  power  for  the  sole  purpose  of  advancing  the 
public  good.  Surely,  in  the  prosperity  of  our  young  city, 
we  have  a  common  interest.  Here  the  fortunes  of  us  all 
are  embarked  in  a  common  bottom,  and  it  cannot  be  too 
much  to  expect  a  union  of  counsels  and  exertions  to  secure 
their  safety. 

"  Gentlemen — The  charter  of  incorporation  invests  the 
Common  Council  with  powers  demanding  the  exercise  of 
all  our  wisdom,  industry,  and  justice.  The  appointment  of 
nearly  all  the  officers  exercising  civil  power  within  the 
boundaries  of  the  city  is  devolved  upon  you  ;  the  power  of 
raising  and  expending  annually  a  large  amount  of  money  ; 
the  orgiinizaiion  of  tlie  city  police  ;  and,  for  the  most  part,  the 
administration  of  justice  within  the  ciiy  limits.  In  all  these 
various  duties  I  pledge  the  Common  Council  my  cordial 
co-operation. 

"  The  charter  has  made  it  the  doty  of  the  mayor  to  take 
care  that  the  laws  of  the  state  and  the  ordinances  of  the 
Common  Council  be  faithfully  executed  ;  to  exercise  a  con- 
stant supervision  and  control  over  the  subordinate  officers  ; 
to  hear  and  examine  all  complaints  of  neglect  of  duty;  to 
recommend  sucli  measures  as  shall  be  deemed  expedient ; 
to  execute  all  such  as  shall  be  resolved  upon  by  them  ;  and, 
in  general,  to  maintain  the  peace  and  good  order,  and  ad- 
vance the  prosperity  of  the  city.  With  full  purpose  to  dis- 
charge these  important  trusts  with  the  exercise  of  my  best 
understanding,  I  now  enter  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  you 
have  conferred  upon  me." 

On  the  23d  of  June,  in  the  following  year,  soon  after  the 
election  of  a  nevv  Common  Council,  Mr.  Child  presented 
his  resignation  of  the  mayoralty.  This  resignation  was  ac- 
companied by  reasons  therefor,  which  referred  wholly  to  the 
conflicting  views  entertained  by  himself  and  the  Common 
Council  respecting  the  licensing  of  groceries  and  taverns  to 
sell  spirituous  liquors.  (It  will  be  recollected  that  the  yearly 
term  of  the  mayoralty  commences  in  January,  while  that  of 
the  council  commences  in  June — the  design  of  this  arrange- 
ment being  that  there  should  be  at  least  one  member  in 
every  successive  council  familiar  with  the  proceedings  of 
the  Corporation.)  In  his  letter  of  resignation,  after  referring 
to  the  fact  that  a  majority  of  the  newly-elected  council 
diff'ered  from  him  on  the  license  question,  Mr.  C.  mentioned 
that,  although  the  former  board  were  opposed  to  licensing 


THE  MAYORS  OF  ROCHESTER.         265 

in  general,  four  grocers  had  been  licensed  to  sell  ardent 
spirits  ;  and  that  the  controlling  motive  in  that  body  for  thus 
deviating  from  their  intention  to  refuse  licenses  was  expe- 
diency. "  They  supposed,"  he  said,  "  that  a  gradual  reform 
on  their  part  would  meet  the  general  sentiment  better  than  a 
plenary  and  absolute  refusal.  As  a  member  of  the  board,  I 
differed  from  my  associates,  both  as  to  the  propriety  and  expe- 
diency of  making  any  exceptions.  On  that  occasion,  howev- 
er, I  sacrificed  my  own  judgment  and  feelings  to  the  desires  of 
the  majority,  and  therefore  stand  liable  in  my  official  capacity 
for  a  share  of  any  censure,  whether  deserved  or  misapplied, 
which  may  be  cast  on  the  late  board.  But  as  an  individual, 
both  then  and  since,  I  have  constantly  objected  to  that  meas- 
ure, and  to  every  approach  to  it  in  the  issuing  of  grocers' 
licenses." 

After  stating  that  the  new  board  had  granted  numerous 
licenses,  Mr.  Child  added,  "  Jt  becomes  incumbent  on  me, 
in  my  official  character,  to  sanction  and  sign  these  papers. 
I  do  not,  gentlemen,  impugn  in  any  respect  directly  or  im- 
pliedly your  motives  or  judgment  in  acceding  to  these  and 
similar  applications  ;  but  I  am  constrained  to  act  according 
to  my  own  solemn  convictions  of  moral  duty  and  estimation 
of  legal  right  in  all  cases  connected  with  the  office  intrusted 
to  me.  When  I  find  myself  so  situated  in  my  official  sta- 
tion as  to  be  obliged  either  on  the  one  hand  to  violate  these 
high  obligations,  or  on  the  other  to  stand  in  opposition  to  the 
declared  wishes  of  a  large  majority  of  the  board,  and 
through  them  of  their  constituents — my  valued  friends  and 
fellow-citizens — I  dare  not  retain  the  public  station  which 
exposes  me  to  this  unhappy  dilemma.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, it  seems  to  me  equally  the  claim  of  moral  duty 
and  self-respect,  of  a  consistent  regard  to  my  former  asso- 
ciates, of  just  deference  to  the  present  board,  and  of  sub- 
mission to  the  supposed  will  of  the  people,  that  I  should  no 
longer  retain  the  responsible  situation  with  which  I  have 
been  honoured.  I  therefore  now  most  respectfully  resign  into 
your  hands  the  office  of  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Rochester." 

The  communication  of  the  mayor  was  referred  to  a  commit- 
tee consisting  of  Aldermen  Matthew  Brown,  H.  L.  Stevens, 
and  Isaac  R.  Elwood.  At  the  same  time,  on  motion  of  Aid. 
Elwood,  it  was  resolved,  "  that  the  recorder  be  authorized 
to  sign  all  tavern  licenses  and  grocery  licenses  granted  by 
this  board  during  the  time  the  present  incumbent  shall  hold 
23 


266         SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

the  office  of  mayor  of  the  city."  At  the  next  meeting  of 
the  Corporation  the  committee  reported  respecting  llie  com- 
munication by  which  tlie  resignation  of  the  mayor  was  ac- 
companied. As  iihistraiive  of  the  spirit  of  the  time,  as 
well  as  from  its  coime.xion  with  the  history  of  the  city,  the 
grounds  of  this  difference  between  the  mayor  and  council 
may  be  briefly  presented  here  in  the  language  of  the  respect- 
ive parties.  In  reply  to  the  language  of  the  mayor,  partly 
quoted  above,  the  committee,  among  other  things,  observed 
that — 

"  Your  committee,  claiming  to  be  considered  as  friends  to  the  cause  of 
•temperance,'  differ,  as  they  believe  a  majority  of  this  board,  as  well 
as  a  large  majority  of  the  citizens  of  this  city  do,  from  some  of  the  lead- 
ing measures  which  have  been  pursued  with  great  energy  and  zeal,  and, 
as  they  doubt  not,  with  sincerity,  by  many  of  the  friends  of  the  '  tem- 
perance cause.' 

"  They  have  always  believed,  and  that  belief  is  strengthened  by  expe- 
rience, that  intemperance  is  not  to  be  prevented  or  eradicated  by  means 
of  our  present  legislative  enactments  upon  the  subject  of  '  Excise  and 
the  regulations  of  taverns  and  groceries,'  and  which  are  the  only  laws 
upon  the  subject  ;  nor  by  any  course  of  policy  that  can  be  pursued 
based  upon  these  enactments. 

"Your  committee  assume  that  to  traffic  in  ardent  spirits  is  legitimately 
the  natural  right  of  every  man  who  sees  fit  to  do  so,  although  the  expe- 
diency of  the  thing  may  be  well  doubted  ;  and  the  Legislature  have 
virtually  recognised  this  natural  right ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  to  prevent 
tire  evils  which  might  grow  out  of  it,  and  also  to  raise  a  revenue  from  the 
consumption  of  ardent  spirit,  they  have  subjected  the  traffic  in  it  to 
certain  restrictions,  which  restrictions  are  defined  in  the  statute,  and 
are  familiar  to  almost  every  person ;  and  they  have  also  provided 
Boards  of  Excise,  of  which  this  Board  of  Common  Council  is  one, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  impose  restrictions,  but  not  to  make  them  ;  and  who, 
as  has  been  well  said  by  the  former  attorney  and  counsel  of  this  board, 
'  cannot  legislate  upon  this  subject.' 

"  Anything  which  savours  of  restraint  in  what  men  deem  their  natural 
rights  is  sure  to  meet  with  opposition,  and  men  convinced  of  error  by 
force  will  most  likely  continue  all  their  lives  unconvinced  in  their  rea- 
son. \N'hatever  shall  be  done  to  stay  tlie  tide  of  intemperance,  and 
roll  back  its  destroying  wave,  must  be  done  by  suasive  appeals  to  the 
reason,  the  interest,  or  the  pride  of  men  ;  but  not  by  force. 

"  Persuasion,  gentle  as  the  dews  of  heaven,  must  speak  of  '  buried 
hopes  and  prospects  faded,'  of  ruined  fortunes,  broken  hearts,  and 
desolated  homes.  Fashion,  too,  must  be  brought  in,  to  exercise  her 
all-powerful  influence  over  deluded  man,  and  to  restrain  him  from  moral 
pollution  and  the  yawning  gulf  of  perdition  ;  but  every  effort  to  re- 
strain or  reform  him  by  our  present  laws  must  prove  not  only  ineffec- 
tual, but  injurious. 

"  In  reviewing  the  communication  of  his  Honour  the  Mayor,  your  com^ 
mittee  do  not  consider  the  cause  assigned  sufficient  to  justify  the  course 
he  has  pursued,  nor  can  they  think  a  resignation  was  necessary  to  pre- 


THE    MAYORS    OF    ROCHESTER.  267 

vent  a  sacrifice  of  principle,  or  a  compromise  of  duty  on  his  part,  upon 
the  subject  of  granting  hcenses.  In  the  discharge  of  his  duty  relating 
to  licenses^  he  could  only  be  required  to  do  a  mere  ministerial  act, 
which  might  as  well  be  performed  by  any  other  officer  of  the  board,  and 
which  would  not  subject  him  at  all  to  any  responsibility  as  to  the  legal- 
ity or  propriety  of  granting  the  license.  The  Board  of  Common  Coun- 
cil are  alone  the  Board  of  Excise  ;  and  the  mayor,  not  being  entitled  to 
a  vote  in  that  body,  is,  of  course,  in  no  wise  responsible  for  their  acts  ; 
nor  is  he  even  obliged  to  sanction  the  granting  of  licenses  by  the  for- 
mahty  of  aifixing  his  name  to  such  licenses. 

"  At  all  events,  your  committee  consider  the  mayor  as  acting  in  over- 
haste  in  taking  this  step,  until  he  had  ascertained  whether  the  board 
were  willing  to  exonerate  him  from  the  only  agency  he  could  have  in 
granting  licenses,  the  formality  of  his  name,  and  which  they  have  al- 
ready done." 

Jacob  Gould,  il/at/or— 1835-6. 

On  the  second  of  July,  1835,  Jacob  Gould  was  chosen  as 
the  successor  of  Mr.  Child  in  the  mayoralty.  In  his  inau- 
gural remarks,  reference  was  made  to  the  circumstances  at- 
tending the  conflicting  views  between  the  Common  Council 
and  the  former  mayor — to  the  feelings  with  which  he  ac- 
cepted the  office  conferred  on  him  unsought  and  unex- 
pectedly— and  to  his  determination  to  place  it  in  the  power 
of  the  board  to  elect  another  mayor  whose  term  should  com- 
mence with  the  ensuing  1st  of  January,  the  time  contem- 
plated by  the  charter — relinquishing  the  rigiit  which  he  pos- 
sessed, or  was  supposed  to. possess,  to  hold  the  office  for  a 
year  from  the  period  when  he  was  elected  to  fill  a  vacancy 
occasioned  by  resignation.  Although,  considering  that  the 
council,  as  a  board  of  excise,  had  no  right  to  refuse  license 
to  persons  applying  therefor  in  compliance  with  law,  Gen. 
Gould  urged  that  the  strictest  measures  should  be  adopted 
for  preventing  or  remedying  abuses  flowing  from  violations 
of  law. 

In  the  January  of  1836  Gen.  Gould  was  re-elected  to  the 
mayoralty.  In  retiring  from  the  office  at  the  close  of  that 
year,  he  alluded  to  some  facts  strongly  characteristic  of  the 
condition  of  the  city.  After  referring  to  the  great  improve- 
ment and  general  prosperity  of  Rochester,  he  said — ■ 

"  Our  city  has  also  been  remarkably  distinguished  for  -peace  and  gooi 
order,  and  happily  delivered  from  the  fire  that  devours  the  property,  and 
from  the  pestilence  that  destroys  the  lives  of  our  citizens.  Daring  the 
period  of  my  office,  nearly  two  years,  I  wish  it  to  be  remembered  as  a 
most  extraordinary,  and  to  me  most  gratifying  fact,  that  with  a  popu- 
lation averaging  16,000,  I  have  never  been  called  upon  to  interfere,  nor 
lias  there  ever  been  occasion  to  do  so,  for  the  suppression  of  riot,  mob, 


268        SKETCHES  or  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

tumult,  or  even  an  ordinary  case  of  assault.  This  fact  speaks  a  most 
gratifying  eulogy  for  our  civil  and  religious  inslilutions,  and  for  the 
intelligence  and  morality  of  the  community  in  which  we  live." 

It  should  be  remembered  that  this  statement  refers  to  a 
period  within  which  too  many  cities  and  towns  of  the  Union 
were  disgraced  by  riots  on  several  exciting  topics — particu- 
larly on  the  abolition  question. 

A.  M.  Sckermerhorn,  Mayor — 1837. 

Abraham  M.  Schermerhorn  was  elected  mayor  for  the 
term  commencing  with  the  first  of  January,  1837.  Mr.  S. 
held  the  office  about  two  months,  when  he  resigned.  To 
fill  the  vacancy  thus  occasioned,  llie  choice  of  the  Common 
Council  fell  upon 

Thomas  Kempshall. 

The  election  of  this  gentleman  occurred  on  the  7th  of 
March,  1837.  The  changes  which  occurred  during  his  resi- 
dence in  the  place  were  briefly  noticed  in  his  inaugural  ad- 
dress to  the  Common  Council. 

"  In  accepting  the  office  to  which  your  partiality  has  called  me,  in 
consequence  of  the  resignation  of  our  esteemed  fellow-citizen,  Mr. 
Schermerhorn,  I  cannot  refrain  from  alluding  to  the  fact  that,  since  my 
residence  in  this  place,  it  has  grown  up  from  a  mere  hamlet  to  its  pres- 
ent size  and  prosperous  condition.  Though  it  then  contained  but  about 
twenty  buildings,  and  those  of  the  rudest  character,  the  streets  very  few 
of  them  laid  out,  and  the  country  about  it  a  perfect  wilderness,  we 
now  behold  a  flourishing  city,  with  about  ]  8,000  inhabitants.  This 
rapid  increase  and  improvement  is  owing  not  only  to  the  peculiar  local 
advantages  we  enjoy,  but  in  some  measure  at  least  may  be  attributed 
to  the  industry,  enterprise,  and  moral  virtue  of  our  citizens." 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that,  notwithstanding  all  the  pecu- 
niary difficulties  of  the  lime,  the  general  improvement  of  the 
city  was  scarcely  ever  greater  in  one  year  than  during  the 
summer  and  fall  of  1837.  Reference  to  the  improvements 
of  this  and  previous  years  is  made  in  the  inaugural  remarks 
of  the  gentleman  who  succeeded  to  the  mayoralty  on  the  1st 
of  January,  1838 — Mr.  Kempshall  having  placed  it  in  the 
power  of  the  Common  Council  to  elect  a  new  mayor,  instead 
of  holding  on  for  a  full  term  from  the  period  of  his  election. 

Elisha  Johnson,  Mayor — 1838. 

On  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Kempshall,  Elisha  Johnson 
was  elected  to  the  mayoralty.     In  assuming  the  office,  Mr. 


THE    MAYORS    OF    ROCHESTER.  269 

3.  made  some  remarks  on  the  past  and  present  condition  of 
this  region,  the  insertion  of  which  may  not  be  deemed  ir- 
relevant here. 

"  The  long  period  of  my  residence  in  your  city,"  said  Mr.  J.,  "  might 
well  create  in  me  strong  bonds  of  sympathy  with  your  fortunes  and  at- 
tachment to  your  interests  ;  but  when  I  look  back  to  that  time  when  I 
saw  the  present  site  of  your  city  a  wilderness,  when  I  retrace  the  com- 
mencement and  progress  of  her  growth,  and  when  I  behold  her  now, 
with  her  twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  famed  for  their  general  enterprise 
and  industry,  and  enjoying  all  the  blessings  of  an  enlightened,  re- 
fined, moral,  civil,  and  social  community  ;  and  when  with  pride  I  reflect 
that,  from  the  earliest  period  of  her  growth,  my  own  feelings,  fortunes, 
and  exertions  have  been  deeply  enlisted  in  augmenting  her  resources, 
in  improving  and  applying  to  natural  objects  her  natural  advantages,  and 
in  her  general  welfare  ;  when  I  indulge  in  these  associations,  there 
arises  in  me  a  feeling  which  strengthens  that  bond  which  binds  me  to 
your  interests,  and  enables  me  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  my  office  with 
a  higher  and  bolder  ambition  for  your  future  prosperity. 

"  For  the  last  three  years,  your  public  improvements  have  assumed  a 
new  character,  arising  from  the  full  powers  of  a  city  charter — the  in- 
crease of  population  and  the  accunuUated  wealth  of  your  trade,  com- 
merce, and  manufactures.  To  the  constituted  authorities  of  this  city, 
for  their  enlarged  views  in  projecting  and  executing  those  works  which 
the  new  charter  of  the  city  required,  much  credit  is  due.  The  im- 
provement of  the  streets,  the  full  equipment  of  an  effective  fire  depart- 
ment, the  erection  of  a  public  market,  and  many  valuable  minor  works, 
testify  with  what  efficiency  they  have  discharged  the  duties  of  their  sta- 
tions, and  will,  as  works  of  ornament  and  utility  to  the  city,  confer  a 
lasting  and  merited  honour  upon  their  authors. 

"There  yet  remain  to  be  executed  many  important  works  to  answer 
the  future  demands  of  a  large  and  busy  city.  Further  improvements  of 
your  streets  and  avenues  leading  to  the  city  should  be  accomplished 
on  the  present  plan,  so  far  and  so  soon  as  may  be  required  by  the  peti- 
tion of  the  citizens,  and  their  ability  and  wishes  to  meet  the  necessary 
expense.  With  commendable  prudence  and  good  taste,  you  have  se- 
lected and  purchased  fifty-five  acres  of  land  for  a  public  cemetery.  This, 
when  completed  with  that  proper  taste  of  which  it  admits,  will  be  highly 
creditable  to  the  place,  and  may  with  propriety  be  regarded  the  Mount 
Auburn  of  the  city. 

"  The  most  important  item  that  should  demand  your  early  attention, 
is  the  supply  of  the  city  with  water.  A  supply  of  good  water,  sufficient 
to  answer  the  demands  for  domestic  use,  for  the  fire  department,  and 
the  cleansing  of  the  streets  and  sewers,  thus  contributing  largely  to  the 
common  utility,  safety,  and  beauty  of  the  city,  is  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance ;  and  when  we  consider  how  much  our  greatest  blessing,  good 
health,  is  promoted  thereby,  its  value  becomes  altogether  incalculable. 
The  location  of  our  city  admits  of  much  variety  in  the  plans  and  extent 
of  operations  for  this  object.  The  work  should  be  commenced  upon  a 
plan,  embracing  provisions  for  reservoirs,  ample  and  sufficient  for  all 
future  demands,  and  should  be  conducted  in  such  a  manner  as  would 
best  and  soonest  supply  our  immediate  wants.  Annual  appropriations 
23* 


270        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC, 

should  be  made  to  ensure  its  advancement  and  final  accomplishment 
without  a  change  of  plan.  The  amount  necessary  to  the  comjilction  of 
this  work  must  be  large,  but  still  of  a  minor  consideration  when  com- 
pared with  the  great  benefits,  public  and  private,  arising  from  its  proper 
expenditure.  For  securing  the  necessary  riglits  and  interests  in  real 
estate,  the  present  lime  is  the  most  favourable,  and  arrangements  may 
well  be  made,  and  a  stock  created  with  proper  provision  securing  the 
annual  payment  of  the  interest  and  final  payment  of  the  capital. 

"  The  various  public  buildings  which  will  be  required  for  the  offi- 
cers and  archives  of  the  city,  and  for  various  other  objects,  and  which 
will  require  from  the  citizens,  from  time  to  time,  large  disbursements, 
should  be  completed  as  the  resources  of  the  city  will  allow.  At  this 
period  of  your  duties,  the  state  of  your  finances  should  be  inspected,  and 
correct  reports  of  the  fiscal  concerns  of  each  department  required. 
This  will  enable  you  to  operate  within  your  means,  to  prevent  embar- 
rassment, and  to  project  plans  for  future  operations  with  safety. 

"  Among  all  our  various  public  and  private  duties,  there  is  none  more 
incumbent  upon  us  than  the  fostering  and  cherishing  those  associations 
for  intellectual  and  moral  improvement  which  are  springing  up  among 
all  classes  in  our  city.  The  attention  and  efforts  of  our  citizens  have 
been  laudably  directed  in  establishing  institutions  of  learning,  and  pro- 
viding them  with  instructers  of  talent  and  acquirement.  Societies  and 
associations  for  universal  improvement  are  in  operation  among  all 
classes  of  our  young  men.  The  mechanics,  from  whom  so  much  is  to 
be  expected  for  our  future  prosperity,  are  doing  much  honour  to  them- 
selves in  organizing  societies  for  their  instruction  and  improvement  in 
those  departments  of  the  arts  and  sciences  connected  with  these  trades, 
and  in  establishing  libraries  for  the  dissemination  of  useful  information 
among  them  ;  ihus  inculcating  good  habits,  preparing  themselves  for 
general  usefulness,  and  for  filling  important  stations  in  your  community. 
F'rom  these  the  happiest  influences  will  be  felt  throughout  our  whole 
political  and  social  relations.  By  expanding  the  mind,  elevating  the 
views,  cultivating  the  better  feelings,  and  exciting  the  energies  and  pub- 
lic spirit  of  our  citizens,  these  measures  tend  alike  to  the  promotion  of 
our  wealth,  the  rapid  advancement  of  all  our  public  interests,  and  the 
purity  and  refinement  of  our  social  circles.  It  is  from  these  principles 
and  qualities  that  must  emanate  that  union  of  interest  and  feeling,  that 
sacrifice  of  all  selfish  and  minor  objects,  and  that  combination  of  energy 
and  talent,  which  are  so  indispensable  to  our  future  prosperity. 

"  The  location  of  our  city  as  a  frontier  commercial  depot,  and  our  cit- 
izens being  extensively  engaged  as  a  commercial  people,  enjoying  rights 
secured  to  them  by  national  treaties,  demand  of  us  high  and  honourable 
duties,  in  being  obedient  to  the  laws  in  matters  involving  our  national 
faith,  and  in  strict  obedience  to  those  principles  of  justice  upon  which 
depends  the  complexion  of  our  national  character.  The  reputation  of 
our  city  for  the  intelligence,  good  sense,  and  honourable  feeling  of 
its  citizens,  and  their  regard  to  law,  justice,  and  good  order,  should 
stimulate  all  to  preserve  unsullied  her  fame,  and  to  prevent  the  innocent 
from  suffering  from  any  acts  of  our  citizens  committed  in  secret,  cind 
beyond  the  knowledge  and  control  of  a  proper  authority." 

[The  concluding  remarks  referred  to  the  irrejs^larity  of 
some  movements  connected  with  the  Canadian  difBculties.] 


RELIGIOUS  AND  SOCIAL  INSTITUTIONS 
OF  ROCHESTER. 


The  misapprehensions  prevalent  in  foreign  lands  concern- 
ing the  political  condition  of  the  United  States  are  apparently- 
surpassed  by  the  ignorance  frequently  manifested  touching 
the  religious  and  social  institutions  of  our  people.  The  defi- 
ciency of  an  "  established"'  church — ihe  perfect  freedom 
from  all  entangling  alliances  between  politics  and  religion — 
seemingly  indicates  to  multitudes  dwelling  under  the  sys- 
tems of  the  Old  World,  that  government  and  religion  in  these 
republics  are  mutually  weakened  by  the  absence  of  those 
connexions  which  have  distinguished,  and  too  frequently 
disgraced,  the  history  of  most  nations  through  all  time. 

Before  sketching  the  progress  of  the  religious  and  social 
institutions  of  Rochester  for  the  twenty-two  years  which 
have  elapsed  since  the  first  church  was  formed  in  this  then 
wilderness,  it  may  not  prove  uninteresting  to  glance  at  some 
opinions  published  in  Europe  touching  the  condition  of  the 
new  settlements  generally  in  the  United  States.  The  brief 
review  may  enable  us  to  appreciate  more  fully  the  advan- 
tages of  our  country,  while  the  facts  that  will  be  presented 
may  aid  the  European  inquirer  in  estimating  correctly  the 
worthlessness  of  theories  propagated  abroad  to  the  dispar- 
agement of  American  institutions  and  character. 

It  is  amusing  enough  for  those  who  are  familiar  with  the 
condition  of  this  country  to  peruse  Southey's  lamentations 
for  American  degeneracy,  and  his  confident  predictions  of 
vast  calamities  to  be  experienced  from  the  alleged  deficiency 
of  religious  institutions  in  the  United  States,  especially  in 
the  newly-settled  regions.  "As  the  American  government 
has  not  thought  it  necessary  to  provide  religious  instruction 
for  the  people  in  any  of  the  new  states,"  the  veteran  Southey 
tremblingly  exclaims,  "the  prevalence  of  superstition,  in 
some  wild  and  terrible  shape,  may  be  anticipated  as  one 
likely  consequence  of  this  great  and  portentous  omission. 


272  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

An  Old  Man-of-the-Mountaiti  might  find  dupes  and  followers 
as  readily  as  the  all-friend  Jemima  Wilkinson  ;  and  tlie  next 
Aaron  Burr  vvho  seeks  to  carve  a  kini>{lom  for  himself  out 
of  the  overgrown  territories  of  the  Union,  may  discover  that 
fanaticism  is  the  most  eflective  weapon  witii  which  ambi- 
tion can  arm  itself;  that  the  way  for  both  is  prepared  by 
that  immorality  which  the  want  of  religion  naturally  and 
more  necessarily  induces  ;  and  that  camp-meetings  may  be 
very  well  directed  to  forward  the  designs  of  a  military 
prophet.  Were  there  another  Mohammed  to  arise,  there  is 
no  part  of  the  world  where  he  would  find  more  scope  or 
fairer  opportunity  than  in  that  part  of  tlie  Anglo-American 
Union  into  which  the  elder  states  continually  discharge  the 
restless  part  of  their  population — leaving  law  and  gospel  to 
overtake  it  if  they  can — for  in  the  march  of  modern  colo- 
nization both  are  left  behind." 

Well  has  it  been  remarked  by  an  American  critic  upon 
Southey's  Colloquies,  that  "  Ignorance  of  facts  and  institu- 
tions is  the  excuse  for  this  extravagance.  The  emigrants 
from  the  elder  states  carry  with  them  the  religious  princi- 
ples and  rituals  which  they  have  received  in  their  youth. 
The  law  and  the  gospel,  as  they  have  learned  it,  go  with 
them  ;  and  they  are  followed  by  clergy,  regular  or  irregular, 
for  whose  ministry  they  build  churches.  Moreover,  they  are 
not  illiterate  nor  doltish.  Occasionally  individuals  may  lall 
under  fanatical  illusions  ;  but,  in  general,  they  are  too  acute, 
too  deeply  imbued  with  particular  religious  and  political 
maxims,  and  too  intent  on  the  improvement  of  their  earthly 
condition,  to  become  dupes  to  any  ambitious  impostor.  If 
Mohammed  were  to  be  commissioned  from  his  paradise  to 
our  western  region,  he  would  soon  learn  to  talk  about  river- 
bottoms,  crops,  steamboats,  railroads,  and  canals,  and  might 
get  a  seat  in  Congress  by  his  wordy  eloquence.  In  the  ca- 
pacity of  a  military  prophet,  he  would  not  find  as  many 
constant  followers  as  Johanna  Southcote  retained  in  Eng- 
land." 

This  digression  cannot  be  better  closed,  nor  the  religious 
and  social  history  of  Rochester  more  happily  introduced,  than 
by  an  eloquent  apostrophe  from  a  speech  delivered  in  Ken- 
tucky by  the  gifted  Everett,  now  Governor  of  Massachu- 
setts. The  truth  and  beauty  of  the  language  can  nowhere 
find  a  heartier  response  than  in  a  city  like  Rochester,  which 


NEW   SETTLEMENTS    OF   AMERICA.  273 

has  sprung  into  existence  with  a  suddenness  and  vigour 
strikingly  illustrative  of  those  intellectual  and  moral  quali- 
ties which  emblazon  the  New-England  name  with  a  radi- 
ance eclipsing  the  bloody  glories  of  the  battle-fields  whose 
trophies  sacrilegiously  bedeck  the  Christian  temples  of 
other  lands  : — 

"  What  have  we  seen,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Everett,  "  in  all 
the  nevt'ly-settled  portions  of  the  Union  ?  The  hardy  and 
enterprising  youth  finds  society  in  the  older  settlements 
comparatively  filled  up.  His  portion  of  the  old  fannly  farm 
is  too  narrow  to  satisfy  his  wants  or  his  desires ;  and  he 
goes  forth  with  the  paternal  blessing,  and  often  with  little 
else,  to  take  up  his  share  of  the  rich  heritage  which  the 
God  of  Nature  has  spread  before  him  in  this  Western  world. 
He  leaves  the  land  of  his  fathers,  the  scenes  of  his  early 
days,  with  tender  regret  glistening  in  his  eye,  though 
hope  mantles  on  his  cheek.  He  does  not,  as  he  departs, 
shake  off  the  dust  of  the  venerated  soil  from  his  feet ;  but 
on  the  bank  of  some  distant  river  he  forms  a  settlement  to 
perpetuate  the  remembrance  of  the  home  of  his  childhood. 
He  piously  bestows  the  name  of  the  spot  where  he  was 
born  on  the  spot  to  which  he  has  wandered  ;  and  while  he 
is  labouring  with  the  difficulties,  struggling  with  the  priva- 
tions, languishing,  perhaps,  under  the  diseases  incident  to  the 
new  settlement  and  the  freshly-opened  soil,  he  remembers 
the  neighbourhood  whence  he  sprung — the  roof  that  shel- 
tered his  infancy — the  spring  that  gushed  from  the  rock  by 
his  father's  door,  where  he  was  wont  to  bathe  his  heated 
forehead  after  the  toil  of  his  youthful  sports — the  village 
schoolhouse — the  rural  church — the  graves  of  his  father 
and  his  mother.  In  a  few  years  a  new  community  has 
been  formed — -the  forest  has  disappeared  beneath  the  sturdy 
arm  of  the  emigrant  —  his  children  have  grown  up,  the 
hardy  offspring  of  the  new  clime  ;  and  the  rising  settletnent 
is  already  linked  in  all  its  partialities  and  associations  with 
that  from  which  its  fathers  and  founders  had  wandered.  *  * 
Such,  for  the  most  part,  is  the  manner  in  which  the  new 
states  have  been  built  up  ;  and  in  this  way  a  foundation  is 
laid  BY  Nature  herself  for  peace,  cordiality,  and  broth- 
erly feeling  between  the  ancient  and  recent  settlements  of 
the  country." 

While  the  foregoing  is  quoted  as  illustrative  of  causes 
which  have  rendered  Rochester  what  it  is,  the  reader  will 


274  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

perceive  from  the  annexed  statements  tliat  the  condition  of 
this  city  exemplifies  most  forcibly  the  declarations  of  the 
New-England  orator. 

Twenty-two  years  ago,  when  the  first  church  in  Roches- 
ter was  formed,  there  was  no  other  congregation  within  a 
tract  of  400  square  miles  !  Sixteen  members  only  formed 
that  congregation  ;  and  it  may  amuse  some  who  now  look 
upon  the  many  and  massive  religious  structures  of  Roches- 
ter, to  be  informed  that  even  those  sixteen  members  had 
then  to  be  collected  from  "  the  Ridge  in  the  town  of  Gates 
and  from  the  eastern  part  of  llie  town  of  Brighton  1" 

The  number,  the  dimensions,  and  the  architecture  of  the 
present  churches — the  dates  of  their  foundation — the  size  of 
their  congregations,  and  the  moral  and  benevolent  societies 
connected  therewith — are  all  exhibited  in  the  statements 
and  illustrations  herewith  presented  to  the  public. 

"  Population  and  even  business  may  have  increased  oc- 
casionally elsewhere  in  a  ratio  perhaps  as  remarkable  ;  but 
in  few,  very  few  cases,  if  any,  will  it  be  found  that  the  prog- 
ress in  those  points  has  been  accompanied  by  the  perfec- 
tion OF  SOCIAL  institutions  in  the  degree  with  which 
they  are  now  already  beheld  in  Rochester."  Such  is  the 
language  we  have  elsewhere  employed  in  some  sketches 
of  the  city.  We  will  not  longer  detain  the  reader  from  facts 
which  may  enable  him  to  decide  upon  its  truth — facts  which 
furnish  the  readiest  reply  to  the  erroneous  assertions  and 
wild  theories  of  commentators  like  Souihey  upon  the  condi- 
tion of  the  American  people.  The  European  reformers, 
who  are  struggling  for  the  recognition  of  the  voluntary 
PRINCIPLE  in  church  endowments  and  government,  may 
here  find  evidence  demonstrative  of  their  theory.  Even  the 
veteran  laureate,  zealous  as  he  is  for  the  union  of  church 
and  state,  may  be  tempted  by  such  facts  to  admit  that  pub- 
lic OPINION  may  possibly  be  rendered  more  efficacious  than 
LAW  and  bayonets  in  promoting  morality  and  spreading 
THE  Christian  faith. 

Before  attempting  to  sketch  the  rise  and  progress  of  the 
Churches  of  Rochester,  it  may  not  be  considered  irrelevant 
to  revert  to  the  condition  of  the  place  about  twenty-five 
years  ago.     Therefore  do  we  notice  now 


PAGAN    RITES    AT    ROCHESTER.  275 

The  last  Sacrifice  of  the  Senecas  where  now  stands  the 
City  of  Rochester. 

The  contrast  between  the  past  and  the  present  may  be 
strikingly  illustrated  by  reference  to  the  Indian  sojourners 
about  Genesee  Falls  in  1812-13.  Many  of  the  Senecas 
wintered  in  this  quarter,  though  chiefly  roaming  elsewhere 
in  the  "•  season  of  blossoms  and  fruit."  Several  families  of 
this  tribe  occupied  the  ground  north  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
in  St.  Paul's-street,  where  now  stand  the  dwellings  of  the 
Messrs.  Ward,  Dr.  Elwood,  Mrs.  Shearman,  Judge  Lee, 
Dr.  Henry,  Mr.  Graves,  Mr.  Galusha,  Mr.  Charles  M.  Lee, 
Mr.  S.  G.  Andrews,  Colonel  Pratt,  Mr.  Robert  Wilson,  and 
Mr,  Samuel  Hamilton.  Odier  Indian  families  resided  about 
the  hill  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  city  owned  by  Mr.  Tif- 
fany, Mr.  Charles  J.  Hill,  and  others — near  the  tract  lately 
purchased  for  a  city  cemetery,  to  be  arranged  like  "  Mount 
Auburn"  near  Boston.  Some  others  of  the  red  race  dwelt 
near  the  residences  of  Dr.  O.  E.  Gibbs,  Mr,  Bard  well,  Dr. 
Faulkner,  Mr.  Achilles,  &c.,  about  North-street. 

The  wigwams  of  several  Indian  families  also  graced  the 
south  and  east  sides  of  the  elevation  whereon  there  may  now 
be  seen  the  Free  Bethel  Church,  and  the  residences  of  Gen- 
eral Vincent  Matthews,  Mr.  Jonathan  Child,  Mrs.  Ira  West, 
Mrs.  Nathaniel  Rochester,  Mr.  Thomas  H.  Rochester,  Mr. 
H.  B.  Williams,  Mr.  William  S.  Bishop,  Mr.  Joseph  Strong, 
Mr.  Henry  E.  Rochester,  Dr.  Mahby  Strong,  Mr.  Hervey 
Ely,  Judge  Chapin,  (fee. 

At  this  last  encampment  some  pagan  rites  were  witnessed 
in  1813,  which  may  be  mentioned  not  merely  as  illustrative 
of  Indian  customs,  but  as  strikingly  indicative  of  the  vast 
changes  by  which  so  many  Christian  temples  have  been 
erected  on  and  around  the  scene  of  such  recent  heathen  or- 
gies ! 

It  may  be  premised  that  the  Senecas,  and  probably  others 
of  the  Six  Nations,  have  five  feasts  annually  ;  on  which  oc- 
casions it  is  customary  to  return  thanks  to  Nauwanew  for 
his  blessings,  or  to  deprecate  his  wrath.  At  these  times 
also  the  chiefs  conversed  upon  the  affairs  of  the  tribes,  and 
generally  urged  upon  the  people  the  duty  of  demeaning  them- 
selves so  as  to  ensure  a  continuance  of  the  favour  which  had 
attended  them  in  their  pursuits  of  peace  or  war.  These 
feasts  followed  the  consummation  of  the  matters  usually 


276         SKETCHES  OP  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

watched  with  most  interest  by  Indians  in  peaceful  times — 
one  of  the  ceremonies  occurring  after  "  sugar-time  ;"  another 
after  planting  ;  a  third  called  tlie  green-corn  feast,  when  the 
maize  first  becomes  fit  for  use  ;  the  fourth  after  the  corn- 
harvest  ;  and  the  fifth  at  the  close  of  their  year,  late  in  Jan- 
uary or  early  in  February,  according  to  the  moon. 

The  latter  ceremonial  was  performed  for  the  last  time  in 
Rochester  in  January,  1813.  The  concluding  rites  were  seen 
by  some  of  the  few  persons  then  settled  in  "  these  parts." 
From  Mr.  Edwin  Scrantom,  now  a  merchant  of  the  city, 
who  was  among  the  spectators,  we  have  had  an  account  of 
the  ceremonial,  as  far  as  he  beheld  it,  which  corresponds 
with  the  accounts  given  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kirkland,  long  a 
missionary  among  the  Six  Nations,  and  by  the  "  White 
Woman,"  that  remarkable  associate  of  the  Senecas.  The 
latter  personage  related,  that  when  the  Indians  returned  from 
hunting,  ten  or  twenty  of  their  number  were  appointed  to  su- 
perintend the  great  "  sacrifice  and  thanksgiving."  Prepara- 
tions were  made  at  the  council-house  or  oiher  place  of  meet- 
ing for  the  accommodation  of  the  tribe  during  the  ceremonial. 
Nine  days  was  the  period,  and  two  white  dogs  the  number 
and  kind  of  animals  formerly  required  for  the  festival ;  though 
in  these  latter  days  of  reform  and  retrenchment  (for  the 
prevaiHng  spirit  liad  reached  even  the  Avigwams  and  the 
altars  of  the  Senecas)  the  time  has  been  curtailed  to  seven 
or  five  days,  and  a  single  dog  was  made  the  scapegoat  to 
bear  away  the  sins  of  the  tribe  !  Two  dogs,  as  nearly  white 
as  could  be  procured,  were  usually  selected  from  those  be- 
longing to  the  tribe,  and  were  carefully  killed  at  the  door  of 
the  council-house  by  means  of  strangulation  ;  for  a  wound 
on  the  animal  or  an  effusion  of  blood  would  spoil  the  victim 
for  the  sacrificial  purpose.  The  dogs  were  then  fantastically 
painted  with  various  colours,  decorated  with  feathers,  and 
suspended  about  twenty  feet  high  at  the  council-house  or 
near  the  centre  of  the  camp.  The  ceremonial  is  then  com- 
menced, and  the  five,  seven,  or  nine  days  of  its  continuance 
are  marked  by  feasting  and  dancing,  as  well  as  by  sacrifice 
and  consultation.  Two  select  bands,  one  of  men  and  an- 
other of  women,  ornamented  with  trinkets  and  feathers,  and 
each  person  furnished  with  an  ear  of  corn  in  the  right  hand, 
dance  in  a  circle  around  the  council-fire,  which  is  kindled 
for  the  occasion,  and  regulate  their  steps  by  rude  music. 
Hence  they  proceed  to  every  wigwam  in  the  camp  ;  and,  in 


RELIGIOUS  EDIFICES  OF  ROCHESTER. 
The  First  Presbyterian  Church— next  south  of  the  Courthouse  — built  of 


THE    CHURCHES  OF   ROCHESTER.  277 

like  manner,  dance  in  a  circle  around  each  fire.  Afterward, 
on  another  day,  several  men  clothe  themselves  in  the  skins 
of  wild  beasts,  cover  their  faces  with  hideous  masks  and 
their  hands  with  the  shell  of  the  tortoise,  and  in  this  garb 
they  go  among  the  wigwams,  making  horrid  noises,  taking 
the  fuel  from  the  fire,  and  scattering  the  embers  and  ashes 
about  the  floor,  for  the  purpose  of  driving  away  evil  spirits. 
The  persons  performing  these  operations  are  supposed  not 
only  to  drive  off  the  evil  spirit,  but  to  concentrate  within 
themselves  all  the  sins  of  their  tribe.  These  sins  are  after- 
ward all  transfused  into  one  of  their  own  number,  who,  by 
some  magical  dexterity  or  sleight-of-hand,  works  off  from 
himself  into  the  dogs  the  concentrated  wickedness  of  the 
tribe  !  The  scapegoat  dogs  are  then  placed  on  a  pile  of 
wood,  to  which  fire  is  applied,  while  the  surrounding  crowd 
throw  tobacco  or  other  incense  upon  the  flame,  the  scent  of 
which  is  deemed  to  co-operate  with  the  sacrifice  of  the  ani- 
mals in  conciliating  the  favour  of  Nauwanew  or  the  Great 
Spirit.  When  the  dogs  are  partly  consumed,  one  is  taken 
off  and  put  into  a  large  kettle  with  vegetables  of  various 
kinds,  and  all  around  devour  the  contents  of  the  "  reeking 
caldron."  After  this  the  Indians  perform  the  dances  of  war 
and  peace,  and  smoke  the  calumet :  then,  free  from  wicked- 
ness, they  repair  to  their  respective  places  of  abode,  prepared 
for  the  events  of  the  new  year. 

The  wild  spot  where  these  pagan  rites  were  performed 
only  twenty-six  years  ago  has  been  transformed  for  the  pur- 
poses of  civilized  man,  and  is  now  surrounded  or  covered 
by  some  of  the  fairest  mansions  and  the  noblest  temples 
of  Western  New- York. 

Such  are  the  results  of  enlightened  enterprise  com- 
bined with  LIBERAL  INSTITUTIONS  in  A  LAND  BOUNTEOUSLY 
ENDOWED  BY  HEAVEN. 

Let  us  examine  now  the  origin  and  condition  of 


THE  CHURCHES  OF  ROCHESTER. 

FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 

This  is  the  oldest  religious  society  in  Rochester.     It  was 
organized  in  August,   1815,  whh  sixteen  members,  by  a 
24 


278  SKETCHES  of  rochesteRj  etc. 

committee  of  the  Presbytery  of  Geneva,  when  Oliver  Gibbs, 
Daniel  West,  Warren  Brown,  and  Henry  Donnelly  were 
chosen  elders,  and  Elisha  Ely  clerk. 

In  January,  181G,  the  Rev.  Comfort  Williams  was  in- 
stalled as  bishop  and  pastor  of  the  church  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Geneva,  and  retired  from  the  station  in  June,  1821. 

In  April,  1822,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Pennej',  D.D.,  was  in- 
stalled as  the  successor  of  Mr.  Williams  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Rochester,  which  presbytery  was  organized  in  1819. 
Dr.  Penney  resigned  the  charge  of  this  church  in  April, 
1833  ;  and,  after  having  spent  two  years  as  pastor  of  the 
First  Congregational  (-hurch  in  Northampton,  Mass.,  was 
elected  to  his  present  station  of  President  of  Hamilton  Col- 
lege. It  may  be  here  mentioned,  tliat  the  first  organized 
efl'ort  in  the  cause  of  temperance  in  Ireland,  if  not  in  Great 
Britain,  was  made  through  the  instrumentality  of  Mr.  Penney, 
while  on  a  visit  to  his  native  land  on  leave  of  absence  from 
this  church.  It  may  be  also  mentioned,  as  equally  credit- 
able to  the  citizens  of  Rochester  and  to  the  object  of  their 
partiality,  that  a  sum  equal  to  the  interest  of  820,000  is  an- 
nually paid  by  some  liberal  residents  of  Rochester  to  sustain 
Hamilton  College  in  supporting  the  president. 

In  1834,  the  Rev.  Tryon  Edwards  was  ordained  and  in- 
stalled as  bishop  and  pastor  of  this  church.  On  the  day  of 
public  thanksgiving  in  December,  1836,  Mr.  Edwards  de- 
livered a  discourse  on  the  "  Reasons  for  Thankfulness," 
which  imbodied  much  statistical  information,  and  from  which 
there  is  copied  into  this  work  some  tabular  statements  of  the 
churches  and  Sabbath-schools  of  the  city,  &;c. 

In  1827,  the  Rev.  Jonathan  S.  Green  and  Miss  Delia 
Stone  (now  Mrs.  J.  R.  Bishop)  sailed  as  missionaries  for  the 
Sandwich  Islands  ;  and  in  1836,  the  Rev.  F.  D.  W.  Ward 
and  the  Rev.  Henry  Cherry  sailed  as  missionaries  for 
Southern  India,  all  members  of  this  church. 

The  progress  of  improvement  in  this  quarter  may  be  in- 
ferred froin  some  facts  mentioned  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Edwards 
in  his  thanksgiving  discourse.  "In  1815,  when  this  con- 
gregation was  organized,  it  was  the  only  church  in  a  tract 
of  about  400  square  miles  !  the  second  meeting  of  its  session 
was  held  on  Brighton  Ridge ;  and  no  church  meeting  was 
legally  called,  unless  notice  had  been  sent  to  the  settlements 
on  the  Ridge  in  Gates  and  in  the  east  part  of  the  town  of 
Brighton  1"  huh   ,o^r;«-;   .miij^JA  ik  i^piiiu.^^io 


RELIGIOUS  EDIFICES  OF  ROCHESTER. 

St.  Luke's,  Episcopal— Fitzhugh-street,  opposite  and  west  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church. 


'  :  y 


THE    CHURCHES    OF    ROCHESTER.  279 

It  is  worthy  of  note,  that,  in  the  year  1828,  "no  one  of 
the  members  of  this  congregation  died  at  Rochester,  though 
their  number  was  between  400  and  500." 

The  church  edifice,  of  v/hich  a  representation  is  herewith 
presented,  is  a  massive  structure  of  stone,  whh  buttresses 
rising  between  the  windows  and  above  the  eaves,  surmounted 
with  spires,  giving  to  the  building  an  unique  appearance. 
These  buttresses  were  added  to  strengthen  the  walls,  after 
an  alarm  occasioned  by  some  imaginary  insecurity  of  the 
building,  owing  to  the  large  concourse  which  thronged  to 
hear  the  Rev.  Mr.  Finney  during  a  revival  a  few  years  ago. 
Although  the  church  edifice  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  city, 
as  the  "  Table  of  Religious  Societies"  will  show,  the  en- 
graving of  it  might  occasion  a  contrary  belief,  from  the  fact 
that,  owing  to  a  desire  to  have  a  view  of  the  session-room 
included,  the  main  edifice  was  necessarily  drawn  upon  a 
smaller  scale  than  that  allowed  for  other  representations. 

The  officers  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  are  L. 
Ward,  Jr.,  M.  Chapin,  Charles  J.  Hill,  Frederic  Starr, 
Ashley  Samson,  and  James  K.  Livingston,  Elders  ;  Everard 
Peck,  F.  M.  Haight,  R.  M.  Dalzell,  Silas  Ball,  Theodore 
Chapin,  and  L.  B.  Swan,  Trustees. 

ST.  lxjke's  church. 

This  Episcopal  church  was  organized,  with  two  or  three 
communicants,  on  the  14th  of  July,  1817,  under  the  name 
of"  St.  Luke's  Church,  Genesee  Falls,"  by  the  Rev.  Henry 
U.  Onderdonk  (now  bishop  of  the  diocess  of  Pennsylvania), 
rector  of  St.  John's  Church,  Canandaigua,  and  missionary. 

Dr.  Onderdonk  performed  occasional  services  for  the  con- 
gregation in  the  old  sehoolhouse  on  the  lot  adjoining  the 
present  church  edifice  (the  sehoolhouse  now  erected  there 
is  one  of  tlie  best  edifices  for  the  purpose  in  the  state). 
After  the  removal  of  Dr.  Onderdonk  to  Brooklyn,  there  were 
occasional  services  by  missionaries  until  the  spring  of  1820, 
when  the  Rev.  Alanson  W.  Welton  was  engaged  to  perform 
divine  service  once  in  three  weeks  for  one  year.  This  ar- 
rangement terminated  in  a  few  months  by  the  removal  of 
Mr.  Welton  to  Detroit. 

In  the  fall  of  1820,  the  congregation  erected  a  wooden 
church,  38  by  46  feet,  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the  pres- 
ent church,  which  was  presented  to  the  society  by  Messrs. 


280         SKETCHES  OP  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

Rochester,  Fifzhugh,  and  Carroll,  the  original  proprietors  of 
the  "  lOO-acre  tract,"  This  edifice  was  consecrated  by  IJishop 
Ilobart  on  the  20ih  February,  1821,  and  on  the  day  follow- 
ing he  ordained  the  Rev.  F.  H.  Cuming  to  take  charge  of 
the  congregation,  Mr.  Cuming  having  received  a  call  thereto 
in  the  previous  December.  There  were  at  that  time  ten 
communicants. 

In  April,  1823,  the  vestry  resolved  to  build  a  new  church 
of  stone,  53  by  73  feet,  on  the  lot  occupied  by  the  wooden 
church.  The  new  edilice  was  occupied  for  the  first  time  on 
the  first  Sunday  in  September,  1825.  Owing  to  the  absence 
of  Bishop  Hobart,  it  was  not  consecrated  until  September 
30,  1826. 

On  the  7th  May,  1827,  the  vestry  passed  a  resolution  to 
organize  a  new  congregation  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
by  the  name  of  "  St.  Paul's,"  now  Grace  Church. 

In  1828,  thirty  feet  was  added  to  the  length  of  the  church, 
making  the  whole  length  103  feet,  affording  seats  for  up- 
ward of  a  thousand  persons.  The  edifice  is  of  the  Gothic 
order,  built  of  stone,  and  is  situate  opposite  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church  and  the  Courthouse.  An  engraving  ex- 
hibits its  appearance. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Cuming  continued  his  connexion  with  the 
chnrch  as  minister  and  rector  imtil  March,  1829;  when, 
after  upward  of  eight  years  service,  he  resigned.  The 
number  of  communicants  was  then  109. 

The  rectorship  of  the  church  continued  vacant  until  Oc- 
tober, 1829,  when  the  Rev.  Henry  J.  Whitehouse,  of  Read- 
ing, Pennsylvania,  was  elected.  He  officiated  in  the  church 
as  its  rector  on  the  first  Sunday  in  December,  1829,  and  was 
instituted  by  Bishop  Hobart  in  August,  1830. 

In  1832  a  Sunday-school  and  lecture-room  was  erected 
in  rear  of  the  church,  dimensions  50  by  44  feet. 

In  September,  1833,  the  Rev.  James  M.  Bolles  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  minister,  to  take  charge  of  the  congrega- 
tion during  the  temporary  absence  of  Dr.  Whitehouse  on  a 
tour  to  Europe  for  the  benefit  of  his  health  ;  which  office  he 
held  for  one  year. 

A  parish  library  was  organized  in  1831,  and  contains  now 
several  hundred  volumes.  It  is  supplied  with  ten  periodi- 
cal religious  publications,  and  is  designed  for  the  use  of  the 
congregation  generally. 

A  charity  school  of  seventy-five  scholars   is  kept  in  the 


RELIGIOUS  EDIFICES  OF  ROCHESTER. 

The  Second  Baptist  Church — corner  of  Clinton  and  Main  streets— built  of 
stone. 


282  SKETCHES  or  Rochester,  etc. 

church  then  remained  deslitute  of  a  pastor  for  more  than 
four  years,  enjoying  the  hibours  of  tlillerent  clergymen  du- 
ring that  time.  In  March,  1824,  the  Rev.  Eleazer  Savage 
became  ilieir  pastor  ;  and  through  his  labours  the  church 
was  greatly  prospered — the  congregation  increasing  in  num- 
bers and  extending  its  influence  and  benevolent  operations. 
He  resigned  his  charge  in  May,  1826  ;  and,  until  his  recent 
settlement  as  pastor  of  another  cluircli,  has  since  been  chiefly 
engaged  in  forwarding  the  tract  and  Sabbath-school  opera- 
tions. 

The  Rev.  O.  C.  Comslock,  the  third  pastor  of  this  church, 
was  settled  in  December,  1827,  and  continued  in  charge  till 
March,  1835,  when  failing  health  compelled  him  to  resign 
a  station,  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  which  his  consti- 
tution suffered  considerably.  Since  that  time,  his  health 
having  been  restored  by  travelling,  he  was  elected  chajilain 
of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  for  one  session.  "  Du- 
ring his  labours  with  this  church,"  it  is  stated  by  one  of 
the  oflicers  of  the  congregation,  "  Dr.  Comstock  had  the 
satisfaction  of  welcoming  to  its  numbers  nearly  eight  hun- 
dred persons  ;  among  whom  was  his  son,  who,  when  about 
to  be  admitted  to  the  bar  as  a  lawyer,  devoted  his  attention 
to  theological  studies,  and  is  now  successfully  labouring  as 
a  missionary  in  tlie  Burman  empire." 

The  Rev.  Pharcellus  Church,  the  fourth  pastor,  was  set- 
tled in  September,  1835,  and  still  continues  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  his  office.  M.  C.  is  the  author  of  two  works  re- 
cently published,  entitled  the  "  Philosophy  of  Benevolence," 
and  the  "  Cause  and  Cure  of  Dissensions  among  Chris- 
tians." For  this  last-named  work  Mr.  C.  has  had  a  pre- 
mium awarded  to  him — it  being  the  opinion  of  the  society 
by  whom  the  premium  was  ofl'ered  that  it  was  superior  to 
any  other  work  offered  on  that  subject. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  great  additions  which  have  been 
made  to  this  church,"  it  is  stated  that  "  its  numbers  at  pres- 
ent are  comparatively  small,  being  about  225  ;  but  it  must 
be  recollected  that  another  church  has  been  formed  of  mem- 
bers from  this,  besides  the  many  who  have  emigrated  to 
the  West  and  other  places." 

This  church  for  several  years  occupied  the  frame  build- 
ing in  State-street  formerly  owned  by  the  First  Presbyterian 
Society.  But  arrangements  are  made  for  erecting  a  spa- 
cious and  handsome  edifice,  of  brick  and  stone,  on  North 


vV 


THE  CHURCHES  OF  ROCHESTER.         283 

Fitzhugh-slreet,  between  the  great  Methodist  Church  and 
the  Brick  (or  Second  Presbyterian)  Church.  We  are  thus 
debarred  I'rom  the  satisfaction  of  presenting  an  engraving 
showing  the  place  in  which  this  society  worships. 

The  officers  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  are  John  Watts, 
Oren  Sage,  and  John  Jones,  Deacons  ;  E.  F.  Smith,  John 
Jones,  John  Watts,  Oren  Sage,  and  Charles  Smith,  Trustees  ; 
H.  B.  Sherman,  Church  Clerk. 

FIRST    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Rochester  was 
organized  on  the  20th  September,  1820.  The  first  trustees 
were  Frederic  Clark,  Abelard  Reynolds,  Elam  Smith,  Dan 
Rowe,  and  Nathaniel  Draper.  Elisha  Johnson  and  Enos 
Stone  having  presented  a  lot  to  the  society,  a  committee 
(consisting  of  N.  Draper,  B.  Hall,  and  R.  Beach)  was  ap- 
pointed to  raise  money  by  subscription  for  building  a  church. 
Means  were  accordingly  promptly  raised,  and  on  the  4th 
June,  1821,  it  was  resolved  to  erect  an  edifice  of  brick,  53 
by  40  feet,  which  was  done  on  the  west  side  of  South  St. 
Paul's-street,  opposite  the  first  frame  dwelling  ever  erected 
in  what  is  now  the  City  of  Rochester.  In  1827,  an  addition 
often  feet  was  made  to  the  west  end  of  the  building. 

In  1830  it  was  resolved  to  make  exertions  for  erecting  a 
new  church  ;  and  these  exertions  were  so  successful,  that 
the  massive  and  spacious  stone  edifice,  on  the  corner  of 
Buffalo  and  Fitzhugh  streets,  was  completed  and  consecrated 
in  the  fall  of  the  following  year.  This  church  was  soon  af- 
terward destroyed  by  fire,  and  liberal  contributions  were 
made  by  the  public  to  enable  the  society  to  repair  their  loss. 
The  renewed  structure,  of  which  a  view  is  here  presented, 
is  not  yet  completed  in  the  inside — the  congregation  meeting 
for  the  present  in  part  of  the  spacious  basement.  The  ex- 
ternal appearance  is  improved  by  the  substitution  of  high 
Gothic  windows  for  the  former  style,  &;c.  The  engraving 
represents  this  edifice  correctly.  The  fire  occurred  on  the 
5th  of  January,  1835,  and  the  loss  fell  wholly  upon  the  so- 
ciety, as  there  was  no  insurance.  "  Notwithstanding  the 
kindness  extended  to  the  society  by  the  people  of  Roches- 
ter and  other  places,"  it  is  remarked,  "  the  loss  has  fallen 
most  oppressively  on  that  body  ;"  but  the  liberality  of  our 
citizens  is  such  that  they  will  unquestionably  aid  the  society 


284  SKETCHES   OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

Still  farther,  so  that  this  edifice,  creditable  to  the  city  as 
well  as  to  the  society,  may  be  wholly  repaired  and  fully  re- 
occupied  on  or  before  the  next  anniversary  of  its  erection. 

Tiie  original  congregation  has  been  divided  into  two  so- 
cieties— the  one  now  occupying  the  new  stone  church  being 
considered  as  the  First  or  original  Society;  and  the  other, 
or  Second  Society,  holding  the  brick  building  on  St.  Paul's- 
street.  The  two  societies  are  separate  and  distinct  "  sta- 
tions"— and  the  clergyman  in  charge  of  the  First  Society  is 
the  Rev.  Wilbur  Hoag — the  last  was  the  Rev.  J.  Copeland. 

SECOND  METHODIST  CHURCH. 

The  history  of  this  church  is  incidentally  given  in  the  ac- 
count of  the  First  Methodist  Society. 

The  edifice  is  of  brick,  situate  on  South  St.  Paul's-street ; 
and  the  pastor  is  the  Rev.  John  Pope — the  late  pastor  was 
the  Rev.  John  Parker. 

Nearly  opposite  this  church  there  may  be  seen  one  of  the 
two  small  frame  dwellings  which  existed  as  early  as  1812 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  City  of  Rochester. 

ST.  Patrick's  church. 

The  first  Roman  Catholic  congregation  built  a  stone  edi- 
fice in  1823  on  the  site  of  the  present  enlarged  building  in 
Platl-street,  near  Slate-street.  The  present  structure  is  in 
the  Gothic  style,  and  has  been  erected  about  5  years.  The 
engraving  presents  a  correct  view  of  the  edifice. 

The  congregation  is  large,  although  another  Catholic  con- 
gregation has  lately  been  formed  under  a  German  pastor, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Priist". 

Much  attention  is  paid  to  the  sustenance  of  a  Sabbath- 
school  in  the  first  church,  under  the  pastoral  charge  of  the 
Rev.  Bernard  O'Reilly.  A  school  is  also  maintained  in  the 
congregation  of  Mr.  Prbst,  wherein  the  English  as  well  as 
the  German  is  taught.  The  latter  congregation  meet  in  the 
brick  church  in  Ely-street,  a  few  rods  from  South  St.  Paul's- 
street. 

There  is  a  society  called  the  "  Christian  Doctrine  Soci- 
ety" connected  with  St.  Patrick's  Church,  for  aiding  in  the 
spread  of  religious  knowledge. 

Several  clergymen  have  had  charge  of  St.  Patrick's 
Church  since  its  establishment — the  Rev.  Mr.  M'Namara 


RELIGIOUS  EDIFICES  OF  ROCHESTER. 

St.  Patrick's  Church,  Roman  Catholic— corner  of  Piatt  and  Fitzhugh 
streets — built  of  stone. 


THE  CHURCHES  OF  ROCHESTER.        285 

was  the  pastor  for  some  time  previous  to  the  instalment  of 
the  present  incumbent. 

SECO>'D    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

This  is  now  known  as  the  Brick  Church,  from  the  material 
of  which  the  edifice  is  built.  The  appearance  of  the  build- 
ing, which  is  located  on  the  corner  of  Fitzhugh  and  Ann 
streets,  is  exhibited  by  the  accompanying  engraving. 

This  society  was  organized  in  November,  1825,  consisting 
of  twenty-five  members.  The  Kev.  William  James  was  in- 
stalled as  the  first  pastor  in  July,  1826,  and  resigned  in  the 
summer  of  1830.  The  Rev.  William  Wisner  was  the  second 
pastor,  undertaking  the  charge  in  the  spring  of  1831,  and 
resigning  it  in  the  fall  of  1835.  The  Rev.  George  Beecher, 
son  of  the  Rev.  Lyman  Beecher,  has  lately  accepted  a  call 
as  pastor  of  the  congregation. 

The  edifice  was  erected  in  1826,  fifty  feet  wide  and  sev- 
enty feet  deep. 

The  officers  of  the  church  are  Benjamin  Campbell,  Or- 
lando Hastings,  John  H.  Thompson,  and  David  Dickey, 
Elders ;  Phineas  B.  Cook  and  Abner  Hubbard,  Deacons ; 
and  James  Seymour,  Levi  W.  Sibley,  Hervey  Lyon,  A.  J. 
Burr,  and  Lewis  Selye,  Trustees. 

THIRD    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

The  Rev.  Joel  Parker  commenced  preaching  to  a  congre- 
gation on  the  east  side  of  the  river  in  Rochester,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1826,  with  a  view  to  the  organization  of  a  church.  The 
Third  Presbyterian  Church  was  formed  from  persons  attend- 
ing upon  his  preaching,  February  28,  1827.  The  number 
of  members  at  the  organization  was  twenty-two.  Mr.  Par- 
ker was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  in  June,  1827,  and 
resigned  in  June,  1830. 

After  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Parker,  the  church  was  without 
a  settled  pastor  upward  of  a  year.  For  a  portion  of  tlie 
time,  however,  they  enjoyed  the  labours  of  the  Rev.  C.  G. 
Finney. 

The  Rev.   Luke  Lyons  commenced  preaching  in  June, 

1831  ;  was  installed  pastor  in  July  succeeding,  and  resigned 
in  March,  1832. 

The  Rev.  C.  Wisner  commenced  preaching  in    March, 

1832  ;   was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  in  October,  1832, 
and  resigned  in  June,  1833. 


286         SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

The  church  was  again  for  a  long  period  destitute  of  a 
settled  pastor.  The  building  at  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Clinton  streets,  which  was  erected  during  the  ministration 
of  Mr.  Parker,  the  congregation  were  compelled,  on  account 
of  pecuniary  embarrassments,  to  offer  for  sale ;  and  it  was 
purchased  by  the  Second  Baptist  Church.  After  this  occur- 
rence they  met  in  various  places,  as  they  could  find  accom- 
modation ;  and  at  length,  in  October,  1834,  they  obtained  a 
room  in  the  Rochester  Seminary. 

The  Rev.  William  Mack,  the  present  pastor,  commenced 
preaching  in  November,  1834,  and  was  ordained  and  in- 
stalled pastor  on  the  6ih  of  February,  1835. 

The  building  now  occupied  by  the  church  was  erected  in 
1835-6,  and  was  dedicated  on  the  3d  of  July,  1836.  Its 
length  is  seventy-five  feel,  breadth  forty-eight  feet.  It  is 
built  of  stone,  and  is  correctly  delineated  in  the  accompany- 
ing engraving. 

The  elders  are  Selah  Matthews,  O.  N.  Bush,  and  G.  A. 
Hoi  lister. 

The  trustees  are  P.  P.  Peck,  Mitchel  Loder,  David  Sco- 
ville,  E.  Weed,  B.  B.  Blossom. 

GRACE    CHURCH — FORMERLY    «T.    PAUL's. 

This  society  was  formed  in  May,  1827,  in  part  from 
members  of  the  congregation  of  St.  Luke's.  The  Rev. 
Sutherland  Douglas  was  called  to  the  rectorship  in  April, 
1828,  and  resigned  in  August,  1829.  The  edifice  was  con- 
secrated in  August,  1830.  In  November  following,  the  Rev. 
Chauncev  Colton  was  called  to  the  rectorship,  and  resigned 
in  December,  1831.  In  1832,  the  Rev.  Burton  H.  Ilickox 
was  called  to  the  pastoral  charge  ;  he  resigned  in  Decem- 
ber, 1833. 

On  the  10th  of  February,  1834,  the  corporation  of  St. 
Paul's  Church  dissolved  itself. 

Soon  afterward,  a  corporation  under  the  style  of  "  Grace 
Church"  purchased  the  edifice  of  St.  Paul's,  and  commenced 
public  worship  under  the  preaching  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hickox, 
who  was  called  by  this  society  on  resigning  the  charge  of 
St.  Paul's,  before  the  dissolution  of  the  latter  society.  Mr. 
H.  resigned  on  the  13ih  February,  1835  ;  and  the  present 
rector,  the  Rev.  Orange  Clark,  was  invited  to  the  office  on 
the  20ih  September,  1835. 

The  building, 'which  is  still  commonly  called  St.  Paul's, 


RELIGIOUS  EDIFICES  OF  ROCHESTER. 
Grace  Church,  or  St,  Paul's— in  St.  Paul's-street— built  of  stone. 


THE    CHURCHES   OF   BOCHESTER.  287 

is  of  stone,  and  in  the  Gothic  style — and  is  represented  by  an 
engraving.  The  wardens  of  the  church  are  E.  Smith  Lee 
and  Jared  Newell.  The  trustees  are  Philander  Tobey,  S. 
G.  Andrews,  W.  W.  Mumford,  H.  Errickson,  N.  Hotchkiss, 
and  Hiram  Leonard. 

KEFORMED    PRESBYTEKIAN    CHURCH. 

This  society  was  instituted  in  1831.  The  first  pastor  was 
the  Rev.  John  Fisher,  the  present  incumbent  the  Rev.  C. 
B.  M'Kee.  When  Mr.  M'Kee  took  charge  in  1835,  the  num- 
ber of  communicants  was  27 — the  number  is  now  increased 
to  90.  There  is  no  Sabbath-school  connected  with  this  con- 
gregation, but  the  number  of  young  persons  attending  cate- 
chetical instruction  is  60. 

The  elders  and  deacons  are  John  Campbell,  Angus 
M'Leod,  and  Matthew  Darragh. 

The  trustees  are  Angus  M'Leod,  Thos.  Gregg,  Hugh 
M'Gowen,  David  Logan,  and  Hugh  Mulholland. 

The  church  is  of  brick,  about  36  by  40 — a  neat  and  plain 
structure. 

EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

This  was  organized  in  1834,  with  20  members,  now  in- 
creased to  80.  The  Rev.  Wm.  A.  Fetter  is  pastor.  The 
trustees  are  Jacob  Mouer,  John  Spanraire,  and  Conrad 
Famer. 

A  new  stone  edifice  is  now  being  erected  for  the  service 
of  this  church,  located  on  the  corner  of  Grove  and  Tillotson 
streets,  near  the  residence  of  Dr.  O.  E.  Gibbs. 

SECOND    BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

This  society  was  instituted  in  1834,  and  now  occupies 
the  church  formerly  held  by  the  Third  Presbyterian  society, 
corner  of  Clinton  and  St.  Paul's  streets.  The  first  pastor 
was  the  Rev.  Elon  Galusha,  who  resigned  in  1835,  and  the 
Rev.  Elisha  Tucker  was  called  to  supply  the  vacancy.  Mr. 
Tucker  is  yet  in  charge  of  the  society, 

A  good  representation  of  the  edifice  belonging  to  this  so- 
ciety is  herewith  presented.  The  building  is  of  stone,  and 
situated  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Main  and  Clinton  streets. 


288  SKETCHES    OP   ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

ZION    CHURCH,    AFRICAN. 

Organized  in  1835.     Rev.  Dempsey  Kennedy  pastor. 

FREEWILL    BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

Formed  in  1836 — tlie  Rev.  David  Marks  pastor. 

UNIVERSALIST    CHURCH. 

This  society  occupies  the  edifice  on  the  corner  of  Court 
and  Stone  streets,  between  St.  Paul's-street  and  Washington 
Square.  The  Rev.  R.  Tomhnson  is  the  preacher.  (The 
building  was  formerly  occupied  by  the  Free  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  the  Rev.  Luke  Lyons  was  pastor.) 

SECOND    CATHOLIC    CHURCH. 

This  is  a  congregation  chiefly  of  German  Catholics,  con- 
sisting of  about  150  families.  The  society  was  organized 
in  August,  1836,  and  occupy  the  small  brick  church  in  Ely- 
street,  near  South  St.  Paul's-street.  There  are  about  60 
scholars  in  a  school  attached  to  this  church.  The  pastor  is 
the  Rev.  Joseph  Priist ;  the  trustees  are  Bernard  Klame, 
Z.  Eichorn,  John  VVeymann,  Jacob  Ridle,  Jacob  Twingel- 
Btein,  and  Frederic  Minges. 

THE  FREE  BETHEL  CHURCH. 

This  Presbyterian  society  was  formed  in  1836,  and  a 
spacious  edifice  has  been  built  in  Washington-street,  between 
BulTalo-sireet  and  the  Erie  Canal. 

The  Rev.  G.  S.  Boardman  has  been  settled  as  pastor,  and 
the  trustees  are  John  F.  Bush,  T.  B.  Hamilton,  P.  D. 
Pater,  John  Biden,  Jr.,  and  B.  Bateham. 

It  is  a  solid  and  tasteful  structure ;  and  its  appearance,  as 
viewed  from  Buflfalo-street,  is  exhibited  in  the  accompanying 
engraving. 

FREE    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  in  November,  1836,  with  five 
members  ;  it  has  now  about  seventy  communicants. 

The  Rev,  John  T.  Avery  is  pastor  of  this  congregation  ; 
John  Gorton  and  Willis  Sternes,  trustees. 


CHURCH    ARCHITECTURE.  289 

The  new  edifice  designed  for  this  congregation  is  con- 
structed of  stone.  The  dimensions  are  70  by  55  feet,  and 
the  building  will  probably  accommodate  an  audience  of  from 
700  to  800.  It  is  located  on  the  corner  of  Sr.  Paul's  and 
Division  streets,  between  Main-street  and  St.  Paul's  Church. 
Not  being  quite  finished,  we  have  not  been  able  to  procure  a 
representation  of  it  for  this  work. 

AFRICAN    M.    E.    CHURCH. 

This  Methodist  society  was  organized  in  October,  1837, 
under  the  charge  of  the  Rev.  Wm.  Edwards.  There  are  25 
members.  The  trustees  are  Austin  Steward,  Peter  Stock- 
ley,  Geo.  Washington,  David  Winer,  and  Benj.  Jointer. 


CHURCH  ARCHITECTURE. 

The  views  presented  of  some  of  the  principal  religious 
edifices  show  more  clearly  than  could  be  done  by  any  de- 
scription, the  taste  and  spirit  manifested  in  those  erections 
by  the  people  of  Rochester.  The  meeting-houses  of  nine 
out  of  the  twenty-two  congregations  are  herewith  presented. 
They  are  built  of  brick  and  stone,  chiefly  of  the  latter  ;  and 
their  respective  dimensions,  with  other  particulars,  are  shown 
in  the  tabular  statement  on  the  next  page.  It  is  our  aim  to 
present  such  facts  and  representations  in  this  case,  and  in 
other  matters  concerning  the  city,  as  may  enable  any  ob- 
server to  judge  with  tolerable  accuracy  of  the  existing  con- 
dition of  Rochester. 

There  are  now  several  churches  either  in  progress  of 
erection  or  about  to  be  commenced.  In  the  former  situation, 
there  is  one  Presbyterian  church  in  St.  Paul's-street — anoth- 
er near  the  residence  of  Dr.  Gibbs,  on  Grove-street — both 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  The  First  Baptist  Society  in- 
tended to  have  erected  last  year  a  new  and  beautiful  edifice 
on  their  lot  in  Fitzhugh-street — and  a  Third  Episcopal  So- 
ciety contemplate  the  speedy  erection  of  a  new  church  on 
their  lot  at  Brown's  Square — both  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river. 

But  the  specimens  here  given  are  sufficient  to  enable  the 
reader  to  judge  of  the  spirit  prevalent  in  these  matters. 
25 


290 


SKETCHES    OP   ROCHESTER,    ETC. 


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SABBATH-SCHOOLS. 


291 


Sabbath-schools. — The  first  Sabbath-school  in  Ro- 
chester was  commenced  in  the  summer  of  1818,  with  30 
pupils.  In  1819  there  were  120,  and  in  1820  100  pupils. 
In  neither  of  these  years  had  the  schools  any  superintendent. 
In  1823  "  the  schools  were  distributed  to  five  or  six  different 
places,  without,  however,  any  sectarian  division."  In  1825, 
the  Monthly  Concert  of  Prayer  for  Sabbath-schools  was  first 
observed.  Before  1826  all  the  schools  had  been  discon- 
tinued during  the  winter;  from  this  date,  however,  the  Pres- 
byterian schools  began  to  be  continued  through  the  entire 
year.  At  this  time  there  were  3  Presbyterian,  1  Episcopal, 
1  Baptist,  and  1  Methodist  school.  The  state  of  the  Sab- 
bath-schools in  the  city  in  1836  may  be  seen  from  this  table.* 
(Further  remarks  elsewhere  on  Sabbath-schoools.) 


460 

267 

275 

250 

100 

230 

200 

225 

300 

250 

259 

135 

250 

20 

00 

75 

00 

35 

00 

00 

3331 

*  The  numbers  here  given  are  the  largest  numbers  connected  with 
each  school  at  any  one  time  within  the  year  1836.  The  school  of  the 
Bethel  Free  Presbyterian  Church  was  formed  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
year,  and  is,  in  part,  a  colony  from  that  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church. 
The  highest  monthly  average  of  actual  attendance  in  the  Protestant 
schools  in  1836  was  508  teachers  and  2554  pupils.  One  or  two  of 
the  last-mentioned  schools  are  open  only  a  part  of  the  year. 


First  Presbyterian, 
Brick  Presbyterian,    . 
Tliird  Presbyterian, 
Free  Presbyterian,     . 
Bethel  Free  Presbyterian, 
St.  Luke's  (Episcopal), 
Grace  (Episcopal), 
First  Baptist,     .... 
Second  Baptist, 
First  Methodist, 
Second  Methodist, 
Free  Congregational, 
St.  Patrick's  (Roman  Catholic), 
Zion  Church  (African), 
Frankfort  (Episcopal),  .  .        , 

Cornhill  (Presbyterian),     .         >"^ 
Carthage  (Presbyterian), 
Sandhill  (Presbyterian), 
White  Schoolhouse  (Presbyterian), 
Brick  Schoolhouse  (Presbyterian), 
Total, 


1 

66 

273 

64 

269 

35 

193 

39 

254 

26 

125 

42 

178 

8 

65 

38 

173 

30 

165 

26 

166 

28 

175 

34 

161 

60 

300 

20 

70 

7 

45 

21 

76 

8 

65 

8 

45 

10 

70 

23 
593 

110 

2978 

ASSOCIATIONS   OF  ROCHESTER. 


The  facts  which  we  have  presented  respecthig  the  reli- 
gious institutions,  gratifying  as  those  facts  are,  acquire  ad- 
ditional interest  when  presented  in  connexion  with  statements 
showing  that  the  feeling  thus  exhibited  has  been  carried  by 
a  considerable  portion  of  our  citizens  through  all  the  relations 
of  social  life.  It  is  not  in  church-building  merely  that  that 
spirit  is  manifested  which  may  justify  us  in  saying  that  few 
cities  of  its  size  have  anywhere  or  at  any  time,  in  such  brief 
space,  rendered  themselves  equally  remarkable  for  religious 
and  benevolent  enterprises. 

Desirous  of  tracing  to  its  earliest  manifestations  that  spirit 
which  has  happily  distinguished  ihe  brief  career  of  Rochester, 
and  anxious  that  those  whose  philanthropic  exertions  have 
contributed  to  good  results  should  have  the  privilege  of  sta- 
ting the  facts  as  they  best  know  them,  we  called  for  in- 
formation upon  one  whose  connexion  with  all  philanthropic 
enterprises  is  well  known  among  a  wide  circle  of  acquaint- 
ance, notwithstanding  his  reluctance  to  have  himself  named 
more  than  can  be  avoided  in  connexion  with  them.  While 
we  appreciate  the  feeling  which  placed  the  injunction  upon 
us,  we  cannot  but  regret  that  we  are  debarred  the  satisfaction 
of  printing  his  name  in  connexion  with  the  information  con- 
tained in  the  following  letter  : 

"  Philanthropic  Institutions  of  Rochester. 
"Mr.  O'Reilly:  Dear  Sir. — Agreeably  to  your  request,  I 
proceed  to  give  you  a  brief  sketch  of  some  of  the  moral  and 
religious  efforts  which  have  either  originated  here,  or  have 
been  greatly  promoted  by  the  citizens  of  Rochester. 

"  Dissemination  of  the  Bible. 
"  The  Monroe  County  Bible  Society  was  formed  in  Roch- 
ester on  the  30th  March,  1821.     Levi  Ward,  Jr.,  was  its  first 
president.     The  operations  were  comparatively  limited  till 
1825,  when  the  first  attempt  ever  made  to  supply  any  con- 


THE    CAUSE    OF    SABBA.TH-SCHOOLS.  293 

siderable  district  or  territory  with  the  Bible  was  made  in 
this  county  by  this  society.  The  project  was  brought  for- 
ward at  a  little  meeting  of  friends  of  tlie  cause  at  the  Eagle 
Tavern,  and  immediately  carried  into  execution,  through  the 
instrumentality  of  Josiah  Bissell,  Jr.,  acting  as  the  agent  of 
the  society.  In  so  doing,  the  county  was  first  explored  by 
sub-agents  in  the  different  towns  ;  the  number  of  destitute 
families  ascertained,  and  Bibles  at  once  sold  to  all  who  would 
buy,  and  given  to  all  who  were  either  unable  or  unwilling  to 
purchase.  A  similar  survey  was  made,  and  the  destitute 
supplied  in  1828.  The  example  was  speedily  followed  else- 
where. How  great  the  good  already  accomplished  in  the 
supply  of  towns,  counties,  states,  and  nations  ;  and  in  the 
efforts  now  made  to  supply  the  world  within  a  given  period 
with  this  only  cure  for  its  moral  evils  ;  this  only  lamp  which, 
lights  up  the  grave,  or  which  can  inspire  hope  or  banish 
gloom  from  futurity !  Here  in  Rochester  originated  an  en- 
terprise which  can  only  be  estimated  in  eternity  and  by  the  light 
which  the  judgment-day  shall  shed  upon  the  afi'airs  of  men. 

"  The  Cause  of  Sahhath-schools. 

"  A  Sabbath-school  was  first  organized  in  Rochester  in 
the  summer  of  1818.  It  was  held  in  the  old  schoolhouse 
near  St.  Luke's  church,  consisted  of  about  thirty  scholars, 
and  was  under  the  direction  of  Messrs.  Peck,  Scofield,  and 
others.  It  lasted  but  a  few  weeks,  and  was  discontinued  on 
the  approach  of  cold  weather.  It  was  revived  and  continued 
through  a  part  of  each  of  the  years  1819,  1820,  and  1821, 
under  different  teachers,  with  no  great  change  or  improve- 
ment but  the  increase  of  numbers,  which,  at  the  latter  pe- 
riod, amounted  to  about  120.  In  1822,  two  or  three  schools 
were  held  at  different  places  ;  and  in  1823,  during  a  visit 
from  that  apostle  of  Sabbath-schools,  the  Rev.  Thaddeus 
Osgood,  a  new  interest  was  awakened  ;  a  union  was  formed 
among  those  who  were  interested  in  the  cause,  and  schools 
to  the  number  of  five  or  six  were  established  in  different 
parts  of  Rochester.  As  these  schools  were  formed  indis- 
criminately from  all  denominations,  so  fearful  were  the  friends 
of  union  that  something  sectarian  would  be  either  said  or 
taught,  that  they  were  excluded  from  at  least  one  of  the 
churches,  and  even  prayer  at  the  opening  of  some  of  the 
schools  was  discontinued  ;  the  objects  of  the  Sabbath-school 
being  supposed  by  some  to  consist  solely  in  teaching  the 
25* 


294         SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

ignorant  how  to  read,  and  committing  to  memory  (on  the 
part  of  those  who  were  able)  large  portions  of  Scripture. 
Things  continued  much  as  above  through  1824.  IJut  in 
1825  the  '  union'  was  abandoned;  the  schools  became  more 
sectarian  in  their  cliaracler,  and  were  coiinecied  wiih,  or 
jnore  particularly  under  tlie  care  of,  members  of  different 
congregations  or  churches.  Increasing  interest  was  felt  on 
the  part  of  teachers  and  others;  and  one  of  the  schools 
(Presbyterian)  lived  through  the  winter  of  1825-0.  It  was 
in  1826  that  the 

"  Monroe  Sunday-school  Union 

Was  formed,  and  the  Monthly  Concert  of  Prayer  for  Sab- 
bath-schools, on  the  second  Monday  evening  of  each  month, 
began  to  be  observed. 

"From  that  time  to  the  present  (March,  1838),  schools 
have  continued  to  exist  in  connexion  wiih  most  or  all  of  our 
congregations — progressing  with  increasing  interest  and  ef- 
ficiency to  such  a  degree  that  it  is  believed  that  not  less  than 
8000  children  and  teachers  have  been  or  now  are  connected 
with  the  evangelical  schools  in  our  village  or  city.  More 
than  half  of  these  have  left  the  schools — many  of  them  have 
left  the  ciiy — carrying  with  them  a  Sabbath-school  spirit ; 
the  greatest  proportion  of  whom  are  believed  to  be  still  en- 
gaged, either  as  teachers  or  scholars,  in  spreading  the  benign 
influence  of  Sabbaih-schools  in  different  parts  of  our  land 
and  world.  A  tabular  statement  of  the  Rochester  Sabbath- 
schools  is  elsewhere  given,  in  connexion  with  a  similar  table 
respecting  the  churches  of  the  city.     An 

"  Association  of  Sabbath-school  Teachers, 
Principally  of  the  Presbyterian  and  Baptist  denominations 
(though  frequently  attended  by  many  others),  and  connected 
with  the  Monthly  Concert  of  Prayer,  was  formed  in  June, 
183.3,  which  still  continues.  Its  meetings,  held  alternately 
in  the  different  churches,  are  of  the  most  interesting  charac- 
ter. Reports  are  presented  of  the  number  of  teachers  and 
scholars  in  attendance  during  the  past  month  in  each  of  the 
schools,  with  such  incidents  as  may  have  transpired  affecting 
any  particular  school  or  the  cause  of  Sabbath-schools  in 
general.  Interesting  facts  from  home  or  abroad  are  men- 
tioned, and  remarks  are  made  by  teachers  and  others  calcti- 
lated  to  encourage  and  animate  all  concerned  in  the  labour 


SABBATH-SCnOOL   UNIONS.  295 

of  love.  It  may  be  added  that  the  object  now  sought  is  not 
merely  to  instruct  in  reading  or  the  mere  learning  of  Scrip- 
ture by  rote,  but  to  lead  by  the  Scripture  to  Christ,  that  the 
recipients  of  instruction  may  be  fitted  for  usefulness  here 
and  a  blessed  immortality  hereafter.     The 

"  Monroe  Sabbaih-school  Union 
Was  formed  in  April,  1825.  Ashley  Samson,  President ; 
the  Rev.  Orrin  Miller,  Vice-president ;  John  Watts,  Treasu- 
rer ;  the  Rev.  George  G.  Sill,  Secretary.  It  was  designed 
to  embrace  the  Sabbath-schools  of  all  denominations  in  the 
county  ;  but,  for  some  reasons,  few  except  Baptists  and 
Presbyterians  have  been  connected  therewith.  Its  object, 
to  promote  the  interest  of  Sabbath-schools  in  this  county, 
has  been  steadily  pursued  by  the  employment  of  permanent 
or  temporary  agents,  and  by  the  voluntary  aid  of  several  in- 
dividuals of  our  city,  who  have  frequently,  from  time  to  time, 
gone  to  the  different  towns  for  this  purpose. 

"  The  Sabbath-school  field  of  Rochester  and  Monroe  coun- 
ty is  supposed  to  have  been,  for  the  last  ten  years,  as  highly 
cultivated  as  any  other  similar  portion  of  our  land.  The  op- 
erations of  the  Union  are  still  continued,  and  immense  good  in 
various  ways  has  been  the  result  of  its  labour.  By  the  report 
presented  to  the  Union  from  the  different  towns,  it  is  believed 
that  nearly  700  teachers  and  scholars  in  this  county  were 
happily  converted  in  a  single  year. 

"  The  Genesee  Sabbath-school  Union 

Was  formed  in  Rochester  in  1827.  The  first  president 
was  Josiah  Bissell,  Jr.,  with  a  vice-president  in  each  of  the 
thirteen  western  counties  of  the  State  of  New- York,  which 
formed  the  field  of  its  operations.  There  were  also  two 
secretaries,  a  treasurer,  and  a  depository,  wuh  a  board  of 
managers  residing  in  Rochester.  It  was  auxiliary  to  the 
American  Sunday-school  Union,  and  designed  to  promote 
the  cause  of  Sabbath-schools  in  this  then  destitute  portion 
of  our  state.  The  operations  of  this  Union  have  been  prin- 
cipally carried  on  through  the  instrumentality  of  one  or  more 
permanent  agents,  with  such  occasional  and  voluntary  aid  as 
could  be  derived  from  ministers  and  others  in  any  and  every 
part  of  the  field  of  operations  within  the  thirteen  counties. 
The  number  of  paid  agents  for  a  part  of  the  first  year  was 


296        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

thirteen  ;  and,  during  a  considerable  portion  of  the  time 
since,  there  have  been  two  or  three.  The  present  general 
agent  (1838)  is  Loren  B.  Tousley,  of  Palmyra,  formerly  of 
BulTalo.  The  labours  of  the  agents  have  been  greatly 
blessed  in  awakening  and  strengihening  the  Sabbalh-school 
interest.  'J'hrough  their  instrumentality,  county  unions  have 
been  formed  in  all  the  counties  ;  and  some  of  these  unions 
have  employed  agents  for  themselves.  By  them,  also,  many 
town  associations  have  been  organized,  and  a  great  number 
of  schools  established  and  kept  in  operation  in  places  where 
otherwise  they  would  probably  not  have  existed  to  this  day. 

"  Sabbath  school  Depository. 

"  About  the  time  of  the  formation  of  this  Union,  a  fund  of 
nearly  $800  was  raised,  principally  in  Rochester,  for  estab- 
lishing a  Depository  of  Sabbalh-school  Books ;  which  has 
been  productive  of  much  good.  The  depository  is  under  the 
charge  of  Levi  A.  Ward,  Treasurer  of  the  Union;  and  from 
it  books  have  been  constantly  sold,  in  large  or  small  quan- 
tities, at  the  same  prices  as  at  the  depositories  in  New- 
York.  The  sales  in  some  years  have  numbered  25,000  vol- 
umes, averaging  ten  cents  each  ;  and  not  less  than  250,000 
have  been  sold  or  distributed  in  all  since  its  establishment. 
The  value  of  the  ordinary  stock  of  books  at  the  depository- 
is  from  $1200  to  $2500. 

"  The  philanthropist,  and  especially  the  Christian,  will  be 
deeply  interested  while  contemplating  the  immense  moral 
power  thus  brought  to  bear  npon  the  rising  generation 
through  the  instrumentality  of  these  unpretending  efforts — 
designed,  as  Sabbath-school  efforts  doubtless  are,  to  exert  a 
greater  influence  upon  mankind  within  their  sphere  than 
perhaps  any  other  similar  enterprise.  'Just  as  the  twig  is 
bent  the  tree  is  inclined.'  The  number  and  excellence  of 
the  books — the  talents,  character,  and  zeal  of  the  thousands 
of  teachers — all  inculcating  the  highest  principles  of  moral- 
ity and  religion,  and,  as  we  hope,  illustrating  their  instruc- 
tions by  their  examples,  furnish  bright  assurances  that  the 
Sabbalh-school  system  is  proving  and  will  long  prove  an 
invaluable  auxiliary  to  our  domestic  happiness  and  political 
institutions — founded,  as  those  institutions  are,  on  the  virtue 
and  intelligence  of  the  people  at  large.  When  we  reflect 
on  the  number  of  youth  instructed  under  this  system  that 


TRACT    OPERATIONS.  297 

are  continually  journeying  onward  to  organize  society  in  the 
vast  wiklerness  of  the  west — building  up  new  cities  and 
states  for  themselves  and  their  descendants — how  must  we 
rejoice  that  our  infant  city  has  so  zealously  contributed  in 
giving  an  accelerated  impulse  to  operations  whose  beneficial 
influences  will  be  exercised  so  powerfully,  not  only  in  our 
own  neighbourhood,  but  through  all  the  immense  regions 
which  are  now  rapidly  passing  under  the  sway  of  civiliza- 
tion. Cheering,  indeed,  must  be  the  prospect  to  those  who 
faithfully  engage  in  the  self-denying  labours  of  a  school  sys- 
tem thus  calcidated  to  influence,  not  merely  the  present  gen- 
eration around  us,  but  the  happiness  of  unborn  millions  ! 

"  TRACT    OPERATIONS. 

"Tracts  were  obtained  by  individuals  for  gratuitous  distri- 
bution at  an  early  period  of  the  settlement  of  Rochester ; 
but  how  early,  or  at  what,  period  the  first  tract  society  was 
formed,  is  not  ascertained.  But  in  1826,  the  friends  of  this 
cause,  desirous  to  aflx)rd  greater  facilities  for  distributing 
tracts  to  all  this  section  of  country,  raised  by  subscription  a 
fund,  and  a  tract  depository  was  established  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Levi  A.  Ward.  (This  is  now  connected  with  and 
forms  a  part  of  the  Sabbath-school  depository  in  Roches- 
ter.) All  the  publications  of  the  American  Tract  Society, 
whether  bound,  or  in  pamphlets,  or  sheets,  with  many  oth- 
ers, are  here  sold  at  the  same  rates  as  at  the  depositories  in 
New- York;  and  there  is  always  a  large  supply  on  hand. 
The  yearly  sales  of  tracts  are  about  $400.  In  addition  to 
the  plan  of  keeping  tracts  in  their  offices  and  dwellings, 
many  friends  of  the  cause  carry  some  in  their  pockets,  to 
give  as  occasion  may  offer,  and  particularly  to  distribute 
them  quietly  for  perusal  in  steamboats,  canal-boats,  taverns, 
and  other  places  on  their  way  in  travelling.  In  this  latter 
plan  several  of  our  citizens  have  been  active  for  many 
years,  and  tens  of  thousands  of  tracts  have  thus  been  dissemi- 
nated. A  monthly  tract  distribution  for  the  whole  city  has 
been  attempted  from  time  to  time,  but  never  reduced  to  a 
perfect  system  till  the  year  1837.  It  appears  by  the  report 
of  the  principal  agent,  T.  T.  Pond,  presented  at  the  recent 
anniversary  of  the  society,  that,  during  the  last  year,  108 
persons  have  been  engaged  in  presenting  a  monthly  tract  to 
each  family  in  our  city  who  would  receive  them ;  amounting 


298        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

during  the  year  to  25,344,  or  150,000  pages  ;  some  of  them 
in  French  and  German.  Their  distribution  has  been  ac- 
companied by  more  than  20,000  personal  visits,  and  but 
662  tracts  have  been  rejected.  'J'hrough  this  instrumental- 
ity, 167  persons  have  been  persuaded  to  attend  some  one  of 
the  churches ;  64  youth  have  been  induced  to  attend  Bible 
classes  ;  563  children  have  been  gathered  into  the  Sabbath- 
schools  ;  483  signers  obtained  to  the  temperance  pledge ; 
several  drunkards  hopefully  reclaimed;  114  district  prayer- 
meetings  held  in  dilTcrent  parts  of  the  city;  51  Bibles  dis- 
tributed to  the  destitute  ;  and  15  persons  profess  to  have 
found,  in  believing  on  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour,  that  peace 
which  iliis  world  can  neilher  give  nor  take  away.  These 
are  but  a  part  of  the  beneficial  results  arising  from  the  dis- 
tribution of  these  'leaves  from  the  tree  of  life.'  Their 
perusal  has  animated  the  Christian  in  his  discharge  of  duty 
to  God  and  man  ;  led  parents  to  greater  faithfulness  towards 
their  children  and  domestics  ;  caused  children  to  consider 
their  obligation  to  obey  and  love  God  and  their  parents,  and 
to  do  good  to  all.  The  wayward,  the  vicious,  the  profligate, 
the  abandoned  of  every  description,  have  been  admonished 
and  warned  that  every  secret  thing  shall  be  brought  into 
judgment ;  and  the  different  tendencies  of  virtue  and  vice, 
for  this  life  and  the  life  to  come,  brought  to  bear  upon  the 
conscience  of  many  a  sinner  who  would  read  nothing  else 
calculated  to  awaken  his  attention  or  arouse  him  to  a  sense 
that  he  is  immortal  and  yet  must  die.  The  friends  of  this 
cause  are  greatly  encouraged  ;  are  resolved  to  prosecute 
with  greater  efficiency  for  tlie  future  this  delightful  work  ; 
and  to  make  still  more  energetic  and  liberal  exertions  for 
sustaining  tract  operations,  both  at  home  and  abroad  ;  be- 
lieving that  there  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Christian  church  or 
of  individuals  no  way  in  which  more  good  can  be  accom- 
plished with  such  little  effort  or  expense  as  in  the  distribu- 
tion of  tracts  and  the  benevolent  efforts  with  which  that 
measure  is  accompanied. 

"THE    MISSIONARY    CAtJSE. 

"The  spirit  of  missions  among  us  was  first  manifested  in 
January,  1818,  when  a  Female  Missionary  Society  was  form- 
ed, Mrs.  Elizabeth  Backus  being  its  first  president.  This 
was  the  first  of  the  benevolent  institutions  of  Rochester ;  and, 


THE    MISSIONARY    CAUSE.  299 

during  the  first  eight  years  of  its  existence,  it  raised  and 
distributed  about  $500,  chiefly  in  aid  of  destitute  congrega- 
tions around. 

"  The  Young  Men's  Domestic  Missionary  Society 
Was  formed  in  the  winter  of  1821-22;  by  whom,  and  the 
ladies'  society  aforesaid,  missionaries  were  sent  to  portions 
of  Niagara  county,  then  almost  a  wilderness.  The  churches 
of  Porter  and  Wilson,  organized  (and  for  a  time  aided)  by 
these  societies,  furnish  evidence  of  the  value  of  a  helping 
hand  extended  in  time  of  need  to  unorganized  societies  and 
feeble  churches  in  the  west.  And  their  contributions  in  aid 
of  others  similarly  situated  have  long  since  proved  the  sin- 
cerity of  their  gratitude  ;  have  given  a  striking  illustration 
of  the  results  of  home  missionary  efforts ;  and  that  labour 
and  money  thus  bestowed  are  like  the  ball  of  snow,  accumu- 
lating as  they  roll,  or  like  seed  that  produces  a  hundred-fold, 
to  bless  not  only  him  who  sowed,  but  thousands  destitute  of 
the  bread  of  life.  And  the  many  hundreds  of  missionaries 
spread  over  our  land,  with  all  the  good  they  have  accom- 
plished, are  but  the  results  of  combined  efforts  (individ- 
ually as  feeble  as  these)  now  exerted  through  the  American 
Home  Missionary  Society  and  other  kindred  institutions,  in 
which  these  local  societies  have  been  merged  or  through 
which  they  now  act,  and  in  aid  of  one  of  which  (the  A.  H. 
M.  S.)  the  contributions  of  our  citizens  have  been  $1250  in 
a  year. 

"  Foreign  Missions. 

"  It  is  not  ascertained  that  any  regular  society  existed 
among  us  in  aid  of  foreign  missions  till  1827,  when  a  coun- 
ty organization  was  formed.  The  collections  for  this  object  • 
have  been  usually  taken  at  the  Monthly  Concert  of  Prayer 
for  the  Conversion  of  the  World,  on  the  first  Monday  even- 
ing of  each  month.  The  first  time  this  concert  is  known  to 
have  been  observed  in  Rochester  was  in  1818,  by  two  per- 
sons, who  contributed  at  the  time  fifty  cents.  One  of  these 
has  been  for  several  years  a  missionary  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  and  the  other  proclaiming  the  Gospel  in  our  own 
land.  From  about  that  time  to  the  present,  this  concert  has 
been  constantly  observed  in  most  of  our  churches,  and  col- 
lections  have  been  taken  from  month  to  month  in  aid  of  the 


300  SKETCHES    OF    ROCIIESTER,    ETC. 

object.  The  contributions  of  large  sums  have  been  few  in 
number:  none  are  known  to  have  exceeded  $1000  at  one 
time  by  one  person,  and  of  these  but  four  or  five  ;  most  of 
them  are  very  small,  and  repeated  from  month  to  month. 
About  $100  were  raised  by  subscription  in  April,  1821,  by 
Josiali  Bissell  ;  and  in  November  of  the  same  year,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Coodell  (agent)  obtained  about  $40,  which  are  sup- 
posed to  have  been  the  first  sums  of  any  importance  raised 
in  Rochester  for  the  object  of  foreign  missions.  From  an 
examination  of  the  Missionary  Herald,  it  would  appear  that 
in  the  fn'e  years  then  next  ensuing,  or  till  182G,  there  were 
given  from  this  city  about  $153,  and  in  the  Inst  five  years 
about  $10,425,  to  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions  ;  and  in  all  nearly  $20,000,  mostly  by 
Presbyterians.  If  to  this  be  added  the  contributions  of  our 
Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Episcopal  brethren,  and  others,  in 
aid  of  those  organizations  which  they  prefer  should  be  the 
almoners  of  their  missionary  contributions,  the  sum  would 
be  increased  many  thousands  of  dollars,  perhaps  doubled. 

"  Rochester  has  also  furnished  a  representation  of  eleven 
persons  as  missionaries  to  the  heathen  world. 

"  We  admit  that  these  are  but  feehle  returns  of  men  and 
means  when  contrasted  with  the  manifold  blessings  which 
God  has  conferred  on  us — and  little  to  what  we  hope  has 
been  done  for  this  object  in  other  places,  whose  age  and  re- 
sources, if  not  population,  are  greater  than  ours.  But  we 
hope  and  expect  that,  from  among  the  children  of  our  fami- 
lies and  Sabhath-schools,  a  far  greater  number  will  go  forth, 
and  that  pecuniary  aid,  increasing  with  our  ability,  will  be 
continually  poured  into  these  treasuries  of  the  Lord  for  the 
conversion  of  the  world. 

"  THE  TEMPERANCE  REFORMATION. 

"  The  first  public  resolutions  ever  adopted  on  the  principle 
of  total  abstinence  were  passed  by  the  Ontario  Presbytery 
in  August,  1827 — but  not  without  opposition,  or  without 
some  claiming  the  liberty  to  '  treat  their  friends  politely.' 
In  October  or  November  of  that  year,  5000  copies  of  Kit- 
tredge's  First  Temperance  Address  were  printed  (by  the 
procurement  of  Samuel  Chipman,  afterward  editor  of  the 
Rochester  Observer)  at  Canandaigua,  about  1000  copies 
of  which  were  distributed  by  two  or  three  persons  in  and 
around  Rochester.     This  was  followed  by  a  reprint  of  two 


TEMPERANCE  REFORMATION.         301 

editions  of  10,000  copies  each  in  the  spring  of  1828  from 
the  Observer  office  in  Rochester,  the  expense  of  which  was 
mostly  defrayed  by  a  very  few  individuals  ;  and  these  were 
sent  by  dozens  and  hundreds  in  every  direction.  Great 
numbers  were  sent  by  mail  to  governors,  legislators,  magis- 
trates, and  public  institutions,  and  to  distinguished  persons 
in  all  parts  of  the  land.  These  efforts  are  supposed  to  have 
been  among  the  very  earliest  and  most  powerful  causes  in 
waking  up  the  attention  of  this  nation  to  the  horrid  evils  of 
intemperance. 

"  The  first  public  temperance  meeting  in  Rochester  was 
held  and  a  society  formed  on  the  21st  of  July,  1828.  From 
this  time  the  cause  rapidly  progressed  till  our  place  became 
noted  for  its  temperance,  and  public  sentiment  became 
strongly  turned  against  that  practice  which  makes  beasts  of 
men  and  taxes  their  fellow-citizens  for  their  support — seeing 
that  our  prisons  and  poorhouses  are  chiefly  tenanted  through 
the  agency  of  grogshops. 

"It  might  also  be  noticed  as  an  incident  worthy  of  record 
that  Dr.  Joseph  Penney,  for  eleven  years  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Rochester,  when  called  by  ill  health 
and  family  affairs  to  Europe,  was  the  first  to  proclaim  the 
true  temperance  principle  in  Ireland  ;  and  through  his  in- 
strumentality the  first  efforts  of  a  public  nature  then  were 
commenced  in  that  kingdom. 

"  The  statistics  relating  to  the  proportion  of  crime  and  pau- 
perism produced  by  intemperance  were  procured  by  a  per- 
sonal examination  made  through  the  prisons  of  this  state 
and  part  of  New-England.  These  statistics  threw  a  flood 
of  light  upon  the  evils  of  intemperance,  and  copies  were 
circulated  in  immense  numbers  by  the  New-York  State 
Temperance  Society.  They  were  obtained  through  the  pa- 
tient investigations  of  several  months  by  one  of  our  citizens 
(Samuel  Chipman,  formerly  editor  of  the  Rochester  Ob- 
server), the  expense  being  defrayed  by  a  single  individual 
of  our  city. 

"  For  a  while  the  practice  of  licensing  grocers  to  sell  spir- 
ituous liquors  was  much  restricted,  and  seemed  on  the  point 
of  being  wholly  abolished  in  our  city ;  but  licenses  have  since 
been  freely  granted  by  the  corporation.  This  is  not  the 
place  to  discuss  the  merits  of  such  movements  ;  and  it  may 
be  only  necessary  to  add  that  the  friends  of  temperance  are 
by  no  means  discouraged.  Petitions  are  even  now  pouring 
26 


302       SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

upon  tlie  Legislature  from  this  and  other  quarters  lo  allow" 
the  people  of  the  several  cities  and  towns  to  determine  by 
vote  whether  they  will  consent  that  the  present  system  of 
licensing  shall  continue  any  longer — pregnant  as  it  is  with 
destruction  to  the  souls  and  bodies  of  multitudes,  and  increas- 
ing crime  and  pauperism  fourfold,  if  not  fortyfold.  (Some 
remarks  on  this  temperance  question,  showing  the  conflict- 
ing views  entertained  respecting  the  power  of  the  corpora- 
tion in  the  matter  of  licensing  lo  sell  liquors,  may  be  found 
under  the  head  of  the  '  Mayors  of  Rochester.') 

"  Observance  of  the  Sabbath. 

[Although  the  compiler  of  this  volume  was  among  those  who  doubted 
the  expediency  of  the  "  Pioneer  Line,"  &.c.,  he  cannot  refrain  from  in- 
serting readily  the  account  of  llial  and  other  similar  enterprises — some 
errors  in  the  management  of  which  enterprises  are  frankly  admitted  by 
the  writer  of  the  following  statement,  who  was  himself  among  the  fore- 
most in  those  projects  and  in  the  other  efforts  which  he  describes. 
These  Sabbath  operations  form  an  imjjortant  feature  in  the  religious  and 
moral  history  of  Rochester  ;  and  a  brief  narrative  of  them  will  doubt- 
less prove  acceptable  even  to  many  wlio  concurred  not  in  all  the  means 
emploved  to  promote  the  projects  described  in  the  following  portion  of 
the  communication  from  the  friend  who  has  here  furnished  us  with  so 
many  interesting  facts  concerning  the  religious  and  benevolent  opera- 
tions of  Rochester  ] 

"  Efl'orts  to  promote  the  better  observance  of  the  Sabbath 
in  general,  but  especially  upon  the  Erie  Canal  and  on  the 
stage-routes,  originated  and  were  first  made  in  Rochester  in 
1827.  They  immediately  resulted  in  the  establishment  of 
a  Sabbath-keeping  line  of  boats,  the  "  Hudson  and  Erie." 
These  efforts,  after  several  years  of  considerable  loss  and 
great  opposition,  were  discontinued  for  a  time,  but  have 
since  been  resumed  under  more  favourable  auspices.  The 
operations  have  now  for  several  years,  as  is  believed,  given 
such  demonstration  that  nothing  is  lost  by  observing  this 
sacred  day,  that  many  are  now  favourably  disposed  who 
were  formerly  otherwise  ;  and  the  hope  is  strongly  indulged 
that  the  business  of  the  canal  may  soon  be  managed  gener- 
ally so  as  to  afford  to  those  employed  upon  it  the  enjoyment 
of  the  blessed  privileges  of  the  Sabbath.  At  least  two  for- 
warding lines  have  been  successfully  prosecuting  their  busi- 
ness upon  this  plan  during  the  past  year. 

"  Propositions  were  made  to  some  of  the  principal  stage 
proprietors  to  discontinue  running  their  stages  on  the  Sab- 


OBSERVANCE    OF    THE    SABBATH.  303 

bath ;  which  being  rejected,  some  friends  of  the  cause  met 
in  convention  at  Auburn  on  the  30th  of  February,  1828, 
when  it  was  resolved  to  establish  lines  of  Sabbath-keeping 
stages  from  Albany  through  Ulica  and  Canandaigua  to 
Buffalo,  Rochester,  Lockport,  and  Lewiston.  Josiah  Bis- 
sell  and  others  were  appointed  commissioners  to  carry  the 
resolutions  into  effect.  The  Pioneer  line  of  stages  was  put 
in  operation  forthwith,  at  an  expense  of  about  $60,000, 
mostly  contributed  as  slock — $10,000  each  by  two  individ- 
uals of  Rochester,  and  the  remainder  by  sundry  friends  of 
the  cause  in  this  and  other  parts  of  the  country.  Multi- 
tudes of  petitions  were,  the  following  winter,  sent  to  Con- 
gress to  abolish  Sabbath  mails — thus  drawing  forth  the  cel- 
ebrated report  of  the  then  Senator  (now  Vice-president) 
Johnson — chairman  of  the  committee  to  whom  the  petitions 
were  referred — a  document  so  much  lauded  by  some,  and 
yet  so  unsatisfactory  to  others.  This  line  was  one  of  the 
most  perfect  stage  establishments  ever  seen  in  this  country — 
everything  being  new  and  of  the  best  kind.  It  encountered 
great  opposition  from  persons  whose  views  or  interests  were 
adverse  or  affected  by  it.  But  it  was  of  great  beneht  to  the 
public  while  it  continued — not  only  in  the  comfort  and  facil- 
ities which  itself  afforded,  but  in  the  accommodating  spirit 
with  which  other  lines  were  induced,  through  competition,  to 
treat  those  who  were  travelling.  It  was,  however,  discon- 
tinued after  several  years,  during  which  it  sunk  its  entire 
capital,  and  was  the  principal  cause  of  the  insolvency  of  the 
estate  of  the  late  Josiah  Bissell,  who  is  supposed  to  have 
lost  $30,000  by  the  operation,  and  other  gentlemen  of  our 
city  as  much  more.  For  a  more  particular  account  of  those 
Sabbath  measures  and  their  results,  see  the  files  of  the 
Rochester  Observer  of  1828,  and  other  religious  journals  of 
that  time. 

"  I  have  advened  thus  particularly  to  these  operations  for 
the  purpose  of  correcting  an  error  which  extensively  pre- 
vails. Some  imagine  these  were  foolish  measures,  that 
have  not  only  failed,  but  resulted  most  disastrously  ;  and 
that  those  engaged  in  them  now  regret  it.  But  this  is  not 
so.  Notwithstanding  the  heavy  pecuniary  losses  of  some 
who  were  deeply  interested,  I  believe  most  or  all  of  them 
feel  abundantly  compensated  by  the  beneficial  results  al- 
ready realized,  and  which  are  daily  extending  their  influence 
in  various  ways.     The  efforts  have  aroused  public  aiteniion 


304        SKETCHES  OP  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

to  the  Sabbaih  as  a  Divine  institution — the  merits  of  which 
have  been  more  extensively  discussed  than  perhaps  ever  be- 
fore. The  influence  exerted  upon  society  by  its  observance 
or  profanation — its  connexion  with  Iiuman  happiness — with 
the  physical  and  pecuniary  results  accruing  from  its  obser- 
vance or  violation — have  been  ably  discussed  by  various 
writers,  and  particularly  by  Doctor  Beecher,  whose  Review 
of  Senator  Johnson's  Report  on  Sabbaih  Mails  was  repub- 
lished in  Rochester  in  1829,  and  thence  sent  gratuitously  to 
all  parts  of  the  land.  Feeling  ihe  importance  and  beneficial 
tendencies  of  its  observance,  multitudes  in  various  parts  of 
the  Union  are  anxiously  exerting  themselves  to  extend,  wide 
as  the  world,  the  blessings  of  the  Sabbath.  And  though 
some  may  consider  as  failures  the  first  efforts  made  at 
Rochester,  and  others  may  imagine  that  no  great  good  has 
resulted  in  any  way  from  those  early  efforts,  yet  the  friends 
of  the  Sabbath  doubt  not  that  an  influence  has  here  been 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  public  mind  which  will  cease  but 
with  time. 

*'  It  may  be  proper  here  to  point  out  the  error  of  some  of  the 
early  friends  of  these  measures,  and  the  supposed  cause  of 
their  apparent  failure,  or  of  the  pecuniary  loss  sustained. 
The  error  consisted  in  claiminif  patronage  for  them  as  Chris- 
tian efforts,  which,  as  such,  the  church  was  bound  to  coun- 
tenance and  sustain.  To  this  claim  or  demand,  in  this  as- 
pect of  it,  many  Christians  did  not  respond,  and  the  patron- 
age received  was  not  sufficient  for  sustaining  the  first  line 
against  the  combined  opposition  of  those  whose  practice 
was  different  on  the  Sabbaih  question.  The  true  ground 
for  all  such  efforts  is  doubtless  this  :  '  We  pursue  this  busi- 
ness as  we  would  any  other  to  obtain  a  living,  feeling  bound 
to  observe  the  Sabbaih,  with  all  those  in  our  employment. 
If  you  feel  that  this  is  a  course  worthy  of  your  countenance 
or  patronage,  we  shall  be  glad  to  receive  it :  if  not,  we  have 
nothing  to  say.  We  cannot  change  our  course.  If  we  can- 
not obtain  a  living  by  this  business  in  this  way,  we  will  re- 
sort to  something  else — to  transgress  we  dare  not,'  &c. 
Nor  do  the  friends  of  the  Sabbath  yet  see  why  canalboats, 
stages,  steamboats,  railroads,  and  all  oiher  business,  may 
not  and  will  not  be  successfully  prosecuted  on  this  principle. 
It  is  believed  that  the  public  mind  is  sufiicienlly  enlightened 
to  see  both  the  propriety  and  utility  of  such  a  course,  and 
even  now  to  sustain  it. 


CHARITABLE    SOCIETIES.  305 

*'  Education  Societies 

Have  existed  among  us  for  years — some  composed  of  la- 
dies and  others  of  gentlemen.  Several  young  men  have 
been  more  or  less  aided  by  them  in  their  efforts  to  fit  them- 
selves for  clerical  usefulness.  But  these  societies  have  been 
lost  in  the  great  national  societies  ;  and  the  contributions  of 
those  disposed  to  give  are  now  taken  from  time  to  time  by 
agents  or  otherwise  for  the  assistance  of  the  cause. 

"  There  have  also  been  and  still  are  among  us  various  so- 
cieties for  the  relief  and  instruction  of  the  poor — foremost 
among  which  is  the  Female  Charitable  Society,  of  which  an 
account  will  shortly  be  given. 

"  The  Charity  Infant-school 

Is  designed  to  take  care  of  and  instruct  the  children  of 
those  whose  indigent  circumstances  or  necessary  labours 
render  them  unable  to  furnish  the  means  or  devote  their  time 
to  this  object.  It  originated  in  1831  by  the  advice  and 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the  Rev.  Doctor  Penney  and 
lady,  and  a  Young  Ladies'  Benevolent  Society  connected 
with  the  first  church,  who  are  its  patrons  and  managers,  and 
by  the  avails  of  whose  industry  its  expenses  are  mostly  paid, 
and  by  some  of  whom  it  is  visited  from  week  to  week.  The 
number  of  children  varies  from  80  to  120 — some  of  them 
very  young.  Two  or  more  teachers  are  constantly  employ- 
ed, and  its  annual  expenses  are  about  $400  for  tuition,  rent, 
fuel,  &c.  Clothes  are  also  furnished  gratuitously  by  the 
married  ladies  for  the  destitute  ;  and  many  are  the  children 
rescued  from  vice  and  crime  through  this  instrumentality. 

"  For  several  years  a  similar  school  has  existed  in  connex- 
ion with  a  society  of  St.  Luke's  (Episcopal)  congregation. 

"  The  Orphan  Asylum  commenced  last  year  (1837)  is  re- 
alizing the  warmest  wishes  entertained  at  its  establishment. 
An  account  of  it  is  given  hereafter. 

"In  addition  to  the  institutions  already  mentioned,  several 
others  might  be  mentioned,  some  of  which  still  exist,  and 
others,  having  flourished  for  a  while  and  effected  the  de- 
signed object,  or  failed  to  do  so,  have  passed  away. 

"  Almost  every  moral,  religious,  or  benevolent  movement  of 
the  last  twenty  years  has  had  warm  and  efficient  friends 
and  supporters  in  Rochester. 

"  It  is  in  these  associations  and  efforts  which  are  here  brief- 
26* 


306         SKETCHES  or  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

ly  noticed,  as  well  as  in  the  religious  societies,  and  in  the  re- 
flection, discussion,  and  action  consequent  upon  them,  that 
their  friends  recognise  mnch  of  the  means  which,  under  God, 
have  made  the  City  of  Rochester  what  it  is.  We  have 
realized  the  fulfihiient  of  the  promise,  '  He  that  watereth 
shall  himself  be  watered.'  While  intellect  and  physical 
power  have  banished  the  forest,  tamed  the  cataracts,  meas- 
urably diverted  tlie  course  of  the  river  into  canals  for  hydrau- 
lic operations,  developed  the  resources  of  land  and  water, 
compelling  both  to  aid  in  the  supply  of  human  wants,  the 
promotion  of  human  happiness,  and  the  upbuilding  of  our 
infant  city — the  philanthropic  spirit  above-mentioned  has 
contributed  largely  to  lame  the  heart,  to  curb  the  course  of 
pride,  passion,  and  selfishness,  and  to  promote  that  expan- 
sive benevolence  which  seeks  to  benefit  mankind  without 
reference  to  the  distinctions  of  creed  or  country.  With 
these  feelings,  the  efiorts  of  many  among  us  have  been  un- 
remitted to  arouse  their  fellow-men  to  consider  their  immor- 
tal character  and  destiny  ;  the  interests  which  cluster  around 
that  immortality  ;  the  relations  which  they  sustain  to  God, 
to  man,  to  the  universe  of  mind  with  wliich  they  are  sur- 
rounded ;  and  to  live  while  they  do  live,  as  it  becomes  be- 
ings of  such  important  destinies  to  live.  Here  is  the  secret 
of  that  elevation  of  character,  that  untiring  energy,  that 
active  benevolence,  and  those  expansive  views  and  hopes 
which  have  done  so  much  to  render  Rochester  what  it  is 
and  its  citizens  what  they  are. 

"  In  conclusion,  I  tuight  regret  the  length  to  which  these 
remarks  have  been  extended  and  the  digressions  in  which 
I  have  indulged  ;  but  the  magnitude  of  the  interests  and  the 
nature  of  the  subjects,  together  with  a  wish  to  trace  to  their 
origin  some  of  the  philanthropic  efforts  for  which  Rochester 
is  distinguished,  must  be  my  apology. 

:  Rochester  Female  Charitable  Society. 

This  institution,  which  has  been  productive  of  incalcu- 
lable benefit,  was  founded  in  February,  1822.  It  is  particu- 
larly creditable  to  the  sex  of  which  it  is  constituted,  that  it 
has  been  unsurpassed  by  any  other  institution  of  Western 
New- York  in  the  excellence  of  its  management  and  the 
efficacy  of  its  ministrations. 


FEMALE    CHARITABLE    SOCIETY.  307 

'*  This  noble  institution,  embracing  in  harmonious  union  all 
denominations,  has  been  in  existence  for  seventeen  years," 
said  the  Rev,  Mr.  Edwards  in  his  Thanksgiving  Discourse. 
"Its  objects  are  the  establishment  of  a  charity  school,  and 
especially  the  relief  of  indigent  persons  or  families  in  cases 
of  sickness  or  distress.  It  divides  the  entire  city  into  30 
sections,  to  each  of  which  it  assigns  a  committee  of  one  or 
more  of  its  members.  Each  committee  is  bound  by  the 
constitution  to  visit  its  section  at  least  once  every  month, 
and  as  much  ofiener  as  may  be  needful,  to  ascertain  the 
condition  of  all  the  poor;  in  all  cases  to  see  that  they  are 
provided  with  employment  or  assistance  from  the  proper 
sources,  and,  if  sick,  to  supply  them  with  food,  and  to  aid 
them  by  the  loan  of  proper  clothing,  &c.  The  society  also 
supports  one  of  the  three  charity  schools  of  the  city,  gather- 
ing the  pupils  by  the  aid  of  the  visiters  from  the  various 
sections  of  visitation,  and  supplying  them  with  books,  sta- 
tionary, &c.  The  funds  of  the  society  are  derived  from  the 
contributions  of  its  members,  and  from  a  sermon  annually 
preached  in  its  behalf  by  some  one  of  the  ministers  of  the 
city." 

There  are  now  enrolled  two  hundred  and  sixty  members 
of  this  association  ;  and  the  officers  are  as  follows  : — Mrs. 
William  Atkinson,  President ;  Mrs.  Thomas  H.  Rochester, 
Vice-president ;  Mrs.  Charles  M.  Lee,  Treasurer  and  Secre- 
tary. The  directresses  for  1838  are  Mrs.  Orlando  Hast- 
ings, Mrs.  Joseph  Strong,  Mrs.  Robert  King,  Mrs.  E.  M. 
Parsons,  Mrs.  James  K.  Livingston,  Mrs.  Harvey  Hum- 
phrey. The  class  of  directresses  whose  term  expired  with 
1837  consisted  of  Mrs.  David  Hoyt,  Mrs.  Addison  Gardi- 
ner, Mrs.  E.  West,  Mrs.  E.  Smith  Lee,  Mrs.  Seth  Saxton, 
Mrs.  Matthew  Mead.  The  collectors  of  the  society  are 
Mrs.  Nathaniel  T.  Rochester,  of  St.  Luke's  Church ;  Mrs. 
Daniel  Graves,  Grace  Church  ;  Mrs.  James  S.  Stone,  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  east  side;  and  Mrs.  Doct.  Strong, 
same  church,  west  side ;  Mrs.  Merrick,  Second  or  Brick 
Church  ;  Mrs.  Selah  Mathews,  Third  Presbyterian  Church  ; 
Mrs.  Anson  House,  Free  Church  ;  Mrs.  Oren  Sage,  First 
Baptist  Church ;  Mrs.  Galusha,  Second  Baptist  Church  ; 
Miss  H.  Arnold,  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church ;  Mrs. 
Theodore  B.  Hamilton,  Bethel  Church.  Superintendants 
of  school — Mrs.  Silas  O.  Smith  and  Mrs.  Hestor  L.  Ste- 
vens.    School  Committee — Mrs.  Samuel  Miller,  Mrs.  Doc- 


308  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

lor  Reid,  Mrs.  Benjamin  Campbell,  Mrs.  Gillies,  Mrs.  Wil- 
liam S.  liisliop,  Mrs.  ('aleb  L.  Clark,  Mrs.  Edwin  Pancoast, 
Mrs.  Samuel  D.  J*orter. 

The  visiters  of  ihe  30  districts  into  wliich  the  city  is  divi- 
ded by  the  society  are,  1.  Mrs.  VVm.  ii.  Kiio.v  ;  2.  Mrs. 
Merrick  ;  3.  Mrs.  Graham  and  Mrs.  Divoll  ;  4.  Mrs.  Cong- 
don  ;  5.  Miss  Hamilton  ;  G.  Mrs.  Dalzell ;  7.  Mrs.  II.  L. 
Stevens  and  Mrs.  Gay  ;  8.  Mrs.  Doctor  Brown  ;  9.  Mrs. 
Harvey  Lyon;  10.  Mrs.  H.  B.  Sherman;  11.  Mrs.  VVent- 
worth;  12.  Mrs.  Gillies  ;  13.  Mrs.  Danolds  ;  14.  Mrs.  T. 
B.Hamilton;  15.  Mrs.  J.  T.  Tallman  and  Mrs.  E.  N. 
Buell  ;  16.  Mrs.  N.  T.  Rochester  and  Mrs.  Sedgwick  ; 
17.  Mrs.  F.  Whittlesey  and  Mrs.  Goodman;  18.  Mrs.  O. 
N.  Bush  ;  19.  Mrs.  David  Scovill  ;  20.  Mrs.  .Jacob  Graves  ; 
21.  Mrs.  .T.  D.  Henry;  22.  Mrs.  Levi  A.  Ward;  23.  Mrs. 
S.  G.  Andrews;  24.  Mrs.  W.  Caldwell ;  25.  Miss  J.  Bard- 
well ;  26.  Mrs.  Samuel  Hamilton;  27.  Mrs.  Israel  Smith; 
28.  Mrs.  Guild  ;  29.  Mrs.  M.  Seward  ;  30.  Mrs.  Pitkin. 
"  The  visiters  will  recollect,"  say  the  instructions,  "  that  it 
is  important  they  should  inquire  as  often  as  once  a  month 
into  the  condition  of  the  poor  of  their  districts  ;  let  the  poor 
know  of  their  names  and  places  of  residence  ;  and  make 
out  a  full  report  of  the  number  of  families  visited,  the  sums 
expended,  the  number  of  children  sent  to  the  school,"  &c. 

Having  preserved  a  copy  of  one  of  the  hymns  composed 
for  the  Rochester  Female  Charitable  Society  by  Harvey 
Humphrey,  Esq.  (which  was  stmg  on  occasion  of  the  dis- 
course preached  for  the  benefit  of  the  association  b)'  the 
Rev.  Joel  Parker,  tiien  Pastor  of  the  Third  Presbyterian 
Church),  we  may  be  pardoned  for  inserting  ii  in  connexion 
with  this  notice  of  the  association. 

HYMN. 

All  hail  to  thee,  Charity  !  daughter  of  Heaven  ! 
Bless'd,  sweetest  of  mercies  to  lost  mortals  given  ! 
Oh,  dark  were  our  journey  through  life's  weary  day 
Without  thy  bright  smile  to  illumine  our  way. 

Like  the  beautiful  bow  in  the  late  troubled  sky. 
To  the  grief-stricken  soul  is  the  light  of  thine  eye  ! 
Thou  smil'st  on  the  bless'd  of  this  world  ;  and  thy  power 
Lends  a  holier  light  to  the  loveliest  hour. 

What  have  we,  oh  God  !  that  we  did  not  receive  1 

It  is  bless'd  to  ueceive,  thou  hast  said — but  to  give  ! —    , 


ORPHAN    ASYLUM.  309 

Oh  the  dim  eye  of  sorrow  shall  smile,  and  thy  love 
Descend  on  the  giver  like  dews  from  above  ! 

All  praise  for  Thy  goodness,  in  sunshine  and  showers — 
For  friendship  and  love — for  each  bliss  that  is  ours  : 
But  oh  !  how  it  brightens  each  joy  of  the  heart 
That  joy  to  the  lone  child  of  wo  to  impart ! 

The  Orphan  Asylum. 

Among  the  philanthropic  enterprises  of  the  city,  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  asylum  for  orphans  is  worthy  of  particular 
notice.  The  institution  is  managed  by  a  society  of  ladies, 
and  has  already  accomplished  much  good.  The  number  of 
orphans  now  in  charge  is  35,  and  many  have  been  provided 
with  comfortable  homes  after  having  been  a  while  in  the 
institution. 

What  plan  of  benevolence  is  there  that  calls  more  strongly 
than  this  upon  the  better  feelings  of  our  nature  ?  Is  there 
man  or  woman  who  can  hear  unmoved  the  appeals  in  such 
a  cause?  The  vicissitudes  of  life,  of  which  the  history  of 
the  orphan  inmates  furnishes  many  striking  mementoes, 
should  render  every  parent  considerate  of  the  woes  which 
have  thrown  these  young  sufferers  upon  the  charities  of  the 
world.  In  no  better  way  can  the  children  of  affluence  be 
trained  to  appreciate  the  comforts  which  they  enjoy  than  by 
being  made  familiar  with  the  story  of  the  orphans  while  pre- 
senting at  the  asylum  the  benefactions  which  the  liberality 
of  their  parents  may  enable  them  to  bestow.  The  parents 
who  nurture  children  in  practical  charity  towards  suffering 
humanity  will  realize  rich  harvests  in  the  blessings  which 
will  flow  back  upon  themselves  from  the  exercise  of  benev- 
olence in  this  way  towards  the  unfortunate.  Such  institu- 
tions as  this  asylum  are  valuable,  nor  merely  for  the  benefits 
conferred  on  the  orphans,  but  for  the  meliorating  influence 
produced  on  society  within  their  sphere — as  it  is  an  axiom 
that  CHARITY  IS  TWICE  BLESSED — reflecting  its  benign  influ^ 
ence  upon  the  donor  as  well  as  the  recipient. 

The  asylum  is  on  Soulh-Sophia-street,  Cornhill. 

The  board  of  managers  are  indefatigable  in  their  humane 
efforts. 

The  selection  of  a  matron  for  the  asylum  has  proved  for- 
tunate indeed — as  Mrs.  Tobey  combines  all  the  qualities 
desirable  for  the  occupant  of  the  responsible  station. 


310         SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 


The  Mechanics^    Literary   Association    and  Apprentices^ 
Library. 

'V\\e  Mechanics'  Literary  Association  was  established  in 
the  winter  of  1835-6  ;  and,  from  the  progress  already  made, 
no  reasonable  doubt  can  be  entertained  that  the  society  will 
prove  as  permanent  as  it  has  been  beneficial  in  its  opera- 
tions. Meetings  are  held  frequently  for  debate  and  other 
intellectual  purposes  ;  and  the  interest  awakened  among  the 
mechanics  and  working-men,  as  well  as  the  citizens  gener- 
ally, indicates  that  the  association  will  be  liberally  sustain- 
ed. Were  there  no  other  object  to  be  accomplished  by  the 
association,  the  struggle  made  to  establish  and  sustain  a 
library  for  the  use  of  the  apprentices  should  alone  ensure  the 
cordial  support  of  every  philanthropic  citizen.  'I'he  officers 
are  John  E.  Stevens,  President ;  Samuel  Bayliss  and  John 
Rees,  Vice-presidents;  S.  W.  D.  Moore,  Recording  Secre- 
tary ;  John  F.  Lovecraft,  Corresponding  Secretary  ;  Enos 
Trayhern,  Treasurer  ;  'I'homas  Cowles,  Librarian  ;  C.  11. 
Church,  Assistant  Librarian  ;  George  Arnold,  Wm.  H. 
Hatch,  Franklin  Woostcr,  James  M'Dill,  Wm.  IL  Moore, 
George  Robb,  Henry  Shears,  Directors. 

During  tlie  past  winter  lectures  on  various  subjects  have 
been  delivered  before  the  Mechanics'  Literary  Association 
by  Messrs.  Andrew  Harvie,  Samuel  Bayliss,  John  E.  Ste- 
vens, J.  B.  Slillson,  and  others. 

Young  Mens  Association. 

After  various  meetings  held  by  the  citizens  to  devise 
means  for  promoting  the  moral  and  intellectual  improvement 
of  the  young  men  of  ihe  city,  an  association  was  formed  un- 
der the  above  name  to  assist  in  carrying  out  the  objects. 
The  upper  part  of  Loomis's  building,  adjoining  the  south 
side  of  the  Rochester  City  Bank,  has  been  fitted  up  for  the 
purposes  of  the  association,  and  lectures  on  various  sub- 
jects by  several  well  known  citizens,  as  well  as  debates 
among  the  inembers,  are  regularly  arranged — twice  a  week 
during  the  winter.  Reading-rooms  form  part  of  the  ar- 
rangement, wherein  the  principal  journals  and  periodicals 
are  regularly  to  be  found.  Arrangements  are  in  progress 
for  the  enlargement  of  the  library,  and  it  is  believed  that, 
with  the  feeling  now  prevalent  among  the  citizens  regarding 


YOUNG  men's  association.  311 

such  institutions,  assistance  will  be  afforded  to  the  associa- 
tion sufficient  to  aid  materially  and  quickly  in  forming  a  nu- 
cleus for  a  valuable  City  Library. 

The  officers  for  1838  are  Henry  O'Reilly,  President ; 
James  R.  Doolittle,  Vice-president ;  Evander  S.  Warner, 
Recording  Secretary  ;  Henry  A.  De  Forest,  Corresponding 
Secretary ;  Christopher  T.  Amsden,  Treasurer.  These 
constitute  the  board  of  directors. 

The  first  term  of  lectures  in  this  institution  commenced 
in  February,  and  will  terminate  in  May,  1838.  The  course 
embraced  various  subjects,  and  enlisted  the  talents  of  some 
gentlemen  whose  names  are  sufficient  guarantees  for  the 
character  of  their  productions.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Whitehouse, 
rector  of  St  Luke's,  who  lately  returned  from  his  second  tour 
in  Europe,  delivered  the  introductory  discourse.  He  was 
followed  by  Myron  Holley,  whose  writings  in  the  service  of 
the  state  are  elsewhere  mentioned  in  this  volume  as  distin- 
guished for  their  ability.  The  Rev.  Chester  Dewey,  for- 
merly a  Professor  in  the  Berkshire  Medical  Institution, 
and  now  principal  of  the  Rochester  High  School,  has  de- 
livered a  course  of  lectures  on  geology,  which  have  ex- 
cited much  attention  to  that  subject.  The  Rev.  Tryon  Ed- 
wards, pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  (from  the 
Appendix  to  whose  published  discourse  on  the  "  Reasons 
for  Thankfulness"  we  have  quoted  some  tabular  statements 
of  the  churches  and  Sabbath-schools  of  Rochester),  lectured 
before  this  institution  on  the  "  Progress  of  Science,  and  its 
Influence  on  Revealed  Truth."  Dr.  William  W.  Reid  and 
Dr.  A.  G.  Bristol  delivered  several  discourses  on  Anatomy 
and  Physiology.  (To  Dr.  Reid  we  are  indebted  for  some 
interesting  remarks  quoted  in  the  article  on  "  Medical  To- 
pography" in  this  volume.  Dr.  Bristol  formerly  lectured  be- 
fore a  similar  institution  at  Canandaigua,  where  he  then  re- 
sided.) Professor  Sweet  treated  in  one  lecture  on  the  subject 
of  Elocution.  Dr.  J.  B.  Peckham  furnished  a  discourse  on 
Light  and  Vision.  The  Rev.  Pharcellus  Church,  pastor  of 
the  First  Baptist  congregation  and  author  of  two  works  lately 
issued  from  the  New-York  press  (the  "  Philosophy  of  Be- 
nevolence," and  the  prize  essay  on  the  "  Cause  and  Cure  of 
Religious  Dissensions"),  delivered  a  lecture  on  the  "  Immor- 
tality of  Thought."  The  disappointment  occasioned  to  a 
large  number  of  persons,  members  and  others,  who  were 
unable  to  obtain  access  to  the  hall  owing  to  the  crowd  when 


312        SKETCHES  OF  ROCUESTER,  ETC. 

Dr.  Whitehouse  delivered  the  Introductory  Discourse,  caused 
an  urgent  request  from  llie  association  and  its  patrons  that 
the  discourse  should  be  repeated  ;  and  the  request  was  com- 
plied with  by  Dr.  VV.,  who,  however,  declined  to  permit  a 
publication  of  the  production,  notwithstanding  the  solicitation 
of  the  directors  of  the  association.  Those  who  have  heard 
the  discourse  will  doubtless  cordially  concur  with  us  in  say- 
ing tliat  its  publication  would  be  a  valuable  auxiliary  in  sus- 
tenance of  the  efibrts  now  making  by  several  institutions 
among  us  to  promote  literary  and  scientific  improvement. 

The  lectures  are  delivered  regularly  every  Tuesday  and 
Friday  evening.  With  lecturers  of  such  ability  voluntarily 
exerting  themselves  thus  in  the  cause  of  improvement,  can 
we  be  deemed  visionary  if,  with  what  else  we  know  of  Koch- 
ester,  we  feel  assured  that  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  the 
correct  feeling  and  enlightened  liberality  of  our  citizens  will 
cause  the  erection  and  endowment  of  an  edifice  for  literary 
and  scientific  pursuits,  which  shall  reflect  credit  on  their 
taste  and  munificence,  and  form  a  happy  substitute  for  thea- 
tre, and  circus,  and  other  means  of  amusement  which  would 
cost  more  without  raising  the  standard  of  intellectual  and 
moral  character  ?  Those  of  our  citizens  who  are  blessed 
with  abundant  means  cannot  and  will  not  be  backward  in 
Buch  enterprises  when  men  like  the  above  named  manifest 
such  readiness  to  devote  their  time  and  talents  in  the  glo- 
rious cause  of  mental  improvement. 

Rochester  Athenceum. 

This  is  a  literary  institution  which  has  been  incorporated 
for  several  years,  and  has  a  library  and  some  other  prop- 
erty. It  is  at  present  without  suitable  rooms  ;  but  its  or- 
ganization is  kept  up  as  usual.  The  officers  are  Levi 
Ward,  Jr.,  President;  Walter  S.  Griffith,  Alex.Kelsey,  L.  B. 
Swan,  Henry  E.  Rochester,  Vice-presidents  ;  N.  T.  Ro- 
chester, Corresponding  Secretary  ;  L.  A.  Ward,  Recording 
Secretary  ;  E.  Peck,  A.  Samson,  S.  O.  Smith,  O.  N.  Bush, 
Hervey  Ely,  John  F.  Bush,  Geo.  A.  Avery,  L.  Brooks,  S. 
D.  Porter,  Directors. 

Pi  Beta  Gamma. 

An  association  with  this  name  is  maintained  by  a  consid- 
erable number  of  young  gentleman,  chiefly  students  at  law. 


LITERARY   EXERTIONS.  313 

Its  chief  object  is  to  promote  improvement  in  oratory ;  and 
for  this  purpose  debates  are  frequently  held.  The  president 
is  John  C.  Chumasero,  and  the  secretary  Volney  French. 

In  connexion  with  the  foregoing  notices  of  the  different 
literary  associations  of  the  city  of  Rochester,  we  may  point 
to  the  practical  example  furnished  by  a  friend  of  such  insti- 
tutions, with  the  simple  remark  that  those  who  cannot  fully 
"do  likewise"  in  establishing,  should  not  be  discouraged 
from  doing  what  they  can  towards  sustaining,  such  valuable 
institutions  for  the  improvement  of  the  condition  of  their 
fellow-men.  The  unostentatious  philanthropy  of  William 
Wood,  of  Canandaigua,  is  better  entitled  to  the  notice  of  His- 
tory than  the  conduct  of  many  who  figure  in  its  pages :  it 
should  not  be  overlooked  among  the  notices  of  Men  and 
Things  in  Western  New-York  : — 

"  We  have  been  requested  to  publish  the  following  notice 
from  the  Knickerbocker  Magazine,  which  we  do  with  great 
pleasure,"  says  the  editor  of  the  New- York  Express.  "  The 
only  fault  is  that  it  does  not  tell  half  the  story,  nor  does  it 
do  but  faint  credit  to  this  extraordinary  individual.  It  is  with- 
in our  knowledge  that  Mr.  Wood  conceived  the  plan  of  form- 
ing the  society,  and  put  it  in  execution  without  concert  with 
any  other  individual.  He  called  the  meeting  through  the 
columns  of  the  newspapers  ;  procured  the  chairman,  officers, 
and  speakers  to  attend  ;  drew  the  resolutions  ;  selected  the 
committees,  and  solicited  the  first  subscriptions.  After  toil- 
ing with  success,  and  having  placed  it  in  a  condition  to  sus- 
tain itself,  he  repaired  to  Philadelphia,  and  got  up  a  similar 
institution.  His  active  benevolence  did  not  stop  here.  To 
him  more  than  to  any  other  individual  is  the  Apprentices* 
Library  of  New- York  indebted  for  its  early  existence. 
Avoiding  all  show,  and  even  the  introduction  of  his  name, 
he  performed  wonders.  He  has  retired  to  Canandaigua, 
where,  we  are  persuaded,  his  active  mind  is  still  employed 
to  benefit  his  fellow-men."  The  extract  to  which  these  re- 
marks of  the  Express  were  introductory  is  as  follows  : 

"  We  hear  with  sincere  pleasure  of  the  continued  success 
and  improvement  of  this  widely-useful  institution,"  remarks 
the  Knickerbocker,  with  reference  to  the  Mercantile  Library 
Association.  "  A  large  increase  of  its  already-extended  list 
of  members — additions  of  new  and  valuable  books — acces- 
sions of  magazines  and  the  higher  order  of  periodicals — and 
27 


314        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

ample  preparations  for  a  series  of  lectures  from  some  of  the 
best  minds  of  (he  country,  are  some  of  the  more  prominent 
indications  of  the  'high  and  palmy  state'  to  which  we  have 
alluded.  Let  but  party  disaffections  be  religiously  avoided  ; 
let  the  members  but  strengthen  each  other's  hands  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  great  interests  of  the  association,  and  the 
institution,  for  whose  original  foundation  we  are  mainly  in- 
debted to  the  benevolent  efforts  of  William  Wood,  of  Canan- 
daigua,  will  become  one  of  which  both  our  city  and  state 
may  be  equally  proud." 

May  his  example  be  properly  appreciated.  The  great 
results  of  his  labours  furnish  cheering  encouragement  to 
those  who  are  disposed  to  pursue  a  similar  course. 

The  Rochester  Academy  of  Sacred  Music 

Was  organized  in  October,  1835.  The  object  of  this  asso- 
ciation is  the  cultivation  of  sacred  music  generally,  but  more 
particularly  the  improvement  of  the  music  in  churches  and 
for  charitable  purposes. 

The  officers  of  the  academy  are  a  president,  two  vice- 
presidents,  a  secretary,  a  treasurer,  a  librarian,  and  three 
managers.  The  board  of  officers  appoint  annually  from 
their  own  number  a  committee  of  three,  who  are  styled 
"  Music  Committee."  They  have  also  the  power  to  appoint 
a  professor  to  the  academy,  to  hold  his  office  during  the 
pleasure  of  the  board. 

Regular  meetings  of  the  academy  for  practice  are  held  on 
Thursday  evening  of  each  week  at  their  hall  in  "  Child's 
Buildings,"  Exchange-street. 

The  officers  for  1837-8  are  Addison  Gardiner,  President; 
Frederic  F.  Backus,  First  Vice-president ;  Mortimer  F.  De- 
lano, Second  Vice-president ;  James  M.  Fish,  Secretary  ; 
Hiram  Wright,  Treasurer  ;  L.  B.  Swan,  Librarian  ;  Moses 
Long,  N.  T.  Rochester,  B.  C.  Brown,  Directors  ;  Music 
Committee,  Frederic  F.  Backus,  L.  B.  Swan,  and  Moses 
Long  ;  Professor,  Edward  R.  Walker.  Members  are  ad- 
mitted on  application  to  the  Music  Committee. 

In  music,  the  good  taste  manifested  by  the  citizens  of 
Rochester  has  been  frequently  complimented  on  recent  oc- 
casions. In  expressing  his  astonishment  at  the  prosperity 
of  this  city.  Major  Noah,  of  the  New-York  Star,  says  that, 
»'  As  an  evidence  of  refined  taste  among  the  inhabitants,  it 
naay  be  raentioned  that  it  was  through  their  discrimination 


TKMPERA.NCE    SOCIETIES.  315 

and  liberality  that  the  distinguished  vocalist  Russell,  whose 
unrivalled  barytone  has  recently  produced  such  a  sensation 
in  our  Atlantic  cities,  was  first  brought  into  notice." 

The  Rochester  Academy  of  Sacred  Music  has  established 
for  itself  a  highly  respectable  character  by  the  exertion  it 
has  successfully  used  in  attracting  attention  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  Musical  Science. 

Mechanics*  Musical  Association. 

This  society  was  organized  in  1837,  with  objects  similar 
to  those  of  the  Rochester  Academy  of  Sacred  Music.  Its 
members  manifest  such  spirit  in  its  support,  that  it  will  prob- 
ably be  well  sustained.  The  officers  are  Nathaniel  Bingham, 
President;  Jason  Bassett,  Vice-president;  James  M'Dill, 
Recording  Secretary  ;  T.  A.  Sharpe,  Corresponding  Secre- 
tary ;  Daniel  Graves,  Jr.,  Treasurer ;  Jason  Bassett,  S.  G. 
Crane,  Charles  Button,  Orrin  Morse,  Alexander  Sian, 
Charles  Guild,  James  Turpin,  Elisha  T.  Bowles,  Directors ; 
S.  G.  Crane,  E.  T.  Bowles,  J.  F.  Lovecraft,  Music  Com- 
mittee ;  Trowbridge  A.  Sharpe,  Leader. 

Rochester  City  Temperance  Society. 

This  association  is  formed  on  the  principle  of  total  ab- 
stinence from  everything  that  can  intoxicate. 

The  officers  for  1838  are  James  Seymour,  President;  L. 
M.  Moore,  Seth  C.  Jones,  William  S.  Griffith,  A.  W.  Riley, 
and  David  Scoville,  Vice-presidents  ;  Moses  Chapin,  Treas- 
urer; Erasmus  D.  Smith,  Corresponding  Secretary;  Wil- 
liam M.  Reed,  Recording  Secretary. 

Hibernian  Temperance  Society. 

This  society  is  exercising  a  cheering  influence,  and  may 
be  made  productive  of  still  more  flattering  results. 

The  present  clergyman  of  the  Roman  Catholic  congrega- 
tion was  one  of  the  principal  agents  in  founding  this  institu- 
tion, and  we  believe  he  is  now  president  of  it.  The  secre- 
tary is  James  M'MuUen. 

Monroe  County  Total  Abstinence  Temperance  Society. 

This  association  was  organized  in  November,  1836. 
There  are  several  auxiliaries  in  the  county,  and  the  whole 
number  of  members  now  is  about  2000.     The  President  is 


316  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

Frederic  Starr ;  Vice-president,  Seth  C.  Jones  ;  Secretary, 
E.  D.  Smith  ;  Treasurer,  James  Seymour  ;  Managers,  Wal- 
ter S.  Griffith,  VVilham  W.  lleid,  and  Ashbel  W.  Riley. 
Tiie  City  'J'emperance  Society,  one  of  the  auxiliaries,  em- 
braces about  600  members. 

The  spirit  with  which  the  temperance  cause  has  been  ad- 
vocated in  Rochester,  from  the  period  of  the  earliest  orga- 
nized movements  down  to  the  present  time,  may  be  gathered 
from  the  statements  already  furnished. 

Rochester  Anti- Slavery  Society. 

At  the  election  for  officers  on  the  4th  of  January,  1838,  the 
following  persons  were  elected  : 

Lindley  M.  INIoore,  President;  George  A.Avery,  Silas 
Cornell,  Russell  Greene,  O.  N.  Bush,  David  Scovilie,  Vice- 
presidents  ;  Oren  Sage,  Treasurer  ;  S.  D.  Porter,  Corre- 
sponding Secretary  ;  E.  F.  Marshall,  Recording  Secretary. 

A  state  convention,  in  accordance  with  the  objects  of  this 
society,  was  held  at  the  courthouse  in  Rochester  on  the 
10th  and  lllh  days  of  January,  1838. 

AVhatever  diversity  of  opinion  may  exist  among  the  citi- 
zens as  to  the  expediency  of  the  course  pursued  by  such  as- 
sociations as  the  above,  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that  Rochester 
has  never  been  disgraced  by  any  such  mobs  or  riots  as  have 
attended  the  discussion  of  tlie  "  Abolition  Question"  in  many 
places  throughout  the  land. 

Masonic  Institutions 

Have  ceased  to  exist  in  Rochester  or  the  surrounding  country. 
Wells  Lodge  of  Master  Masons  was  installed  in  1817  ; 
Hamilton  Royal  Arch  Chapter  in  1819  ;  and  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar's Encampment  in  August,  1826;  but  all  were  abol- 
ished by  a  surrendering  of  their  charters  to  the  Grand  Lodge, 
in  consequence  of  the  discussions  arising  from  the  outrage 
on  William  Morgan.  This  surrendering  occurred  in  1829. 
It  was  the  first  movement  of  the  kind  ever  made,  and  had 
great  effect  in  producing  a  general  abolition  of  the  masonic 
societies  in  this  region.  Many  of  our  prominent  citizens, 
who  were  members  of  the  masonic  institution,  united  pub- 
licly in  assigning  the  reasons  which  influenced  them  to  adopt 
this  conciliatory  course  ;  and  those  reasons  were  published 
in  an  address  that  appeared  in  pamphlet  form  and  through 
the  newspapers  in  the  winter  of  1829. 


IMPROVEMENT    OF   SOCIETY.  317 


Theatres  and  Circuses 


Cannot  now  be  found  in  Rochester.  The  buildings  formerly- 
erected  for  such  purposes  were  years  ago  turned  to  other 
objects.  The  theatre  was  converted  into  a  livery-stable,  and 
the  circus  into  a  chandler's  shop. 

The  distaste  for  such  exhibitions  that  prevails  in  New- 
England  has  much  influence  here,  where  the  population  is 
so  largely  composed  of  emigrants  from  that  region. 

It  is  earnestly  hoped  that  vigorous  efforts  will  be  made 
by  the  citizens  to  strengthen  the  literary  and  scientific  insti- 
tutions  which  are  now  seeking  to  furnish  means  of  rational 
amusement,  as  well  as  of  solid  improvement,  to  the  rising 
generation  particularly  ;  that  thus  the  facilities  may  be  les- 
sened for  establishing  in  our  city  attractions  less  calculated 
to  better  the  condition  of  society.  Prevention  would,  in  this 
case,  emphatically  be  preferable  to  any  attempted  remedy. 
Prosperous  as  are  now  many  of  those  who  have  aided  to 
make  Rochester  what  it  is,  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  they 
will  liberally  sustain  all  well-directed  efforts  towards  render- 
ing Rochester  what  it  ought  to  be  when  the  present  gen- 
eration shall  have  passed  away — when  the  sons  of  those 
who  built  the  city  shall  fill  the  places  of  their  fathers. 


Abolition  of  Imprisonment  for  Debt  and  of  Special  Legisla- 
tion respecting  Banking. 

It  may  not  be  considered  amiss  to  state,  in  connexion  with 
the  foregoing  facts  respecting  the  efforts  made  at  Rochester 
for  the  improvement  of  the  condition  of  society,  that  the  peo- 
ple of  this  city  were  among  the  foremost  in  arousing  atten- 
tion to  the  above  subjects.  On  both  questions  the  organized, 
energetic,  and  persevering  movements  made  hereabout  may 
be  ranked  among  the  most  powerful  means  which  contribu- 
ted to  the  passage  of  the  Non-Imprisonment  Act  and  the 
General  Banking  Law  ;  two  of  the  most  important  measures 
in  the  policy  of  this  state. 

27* 


SEMINARIES  OF  ROCHESTER. 


The  present  condition  of  institutions  reflecting  such 
credit  on  the  city  induces  us  to  mention  some  particulars 
connected  with  their  origin,  as  illustrative  of  the  cheering  re- 
suhs  wliich  usually  crown  well-directed  efTorts  (on  tiie  part 
of  even  few  persons)  in  enterprises  of  this  nature. 

The  act  to  incorporate  the  Rochester  High-school  was 
passed  in  March,  1827.  By  it  the  two  school  districts  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river,  in  tlie  limits  of  the  ihen  village  corpo- 
ration, were  constituted  into  one;  and  twelve  trustees,  resi- 
ding within  those  limits,  were  aj)pointed,  whose  corporate  ex- 
istence is  perpetual.  The  act  authorized  the  levy  of  a  tax 
of  $4000,  in  sums  not  exceeding  $2000  in  one  year,  for  the 
purchase  of  a  lot,  &c.  Under  this  act  an  institution  was  or- 
ganized ;  a  lot  (13  acres)  was  purchased  from  Enos  Stone; 
and  contracts  were  made  for  erecting  a  large  stone  edifice, 
to  cost  $5000.  This  is  the  present  high-school  building. 
In  the  construction  and  for  other  purposes,  a  greater  sum 
was  expended  than  was  at  first  authorized.  After  several 
successive  taxes,  the  debts  constantly  increasing  rather  than 
diminishing,  and  the  experiment  as  a  liancaslerian  school 
growing  very  unsatisfactory  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  district, 
it  was  resolved,  at  a  public  meeting  in  1835,  that,  having 
paid  about  $7000,  and  the  debts  being  then  about  $4500, 
''  the  trustees  be  authorized  to  sell  the  properly  for  the 
amount  of  the  debts,  if  such  a  sum  could  be  obtained." 
Under  these  circumstances,  and  when  the  property  was 
likely  to  pass  into  private  hands,  one  or  two  persons  re- 
solved on  an  effort  to  raise  the  means  and  save  the  premises 
for  literary  purposes.  A  stock  was  accordingly  made  of 
$4500,  in  shares  of  $50  each  ;  which,  after  much  effort,  was 
taken  up  by  about  60  persons.  The  debts  being  then  paid, 
and  the  institution  reorganized,  a  new  day  for  the  interests 
of  education  dawned  upon  Rochester — as  consequent  upon 
and  growing  out  of  the  effort  to  save  the  High- school,  was 
the  raising  of  the  money  (also  contributed  as  stock)  for  the 
establishment  of  the  new  and  beautiful  seminary  for  young 
ladies  in  Fitzhugh-street,  of  which  Miss  Jones  is  principal. 


SEMINARIES    OF    ROCHESTER.  319 

Soon  afterward  (the  impulse  thus  given  being  strongly  in- 
dicated by  public  feeling),  sufficient  encouragement  appear- 
ed to  induce  the  erection  of  another  female  seminary  by 
Miss  Seward,  on  the  eastern  margin  of  the  city — which,  for 
convenience  and  location,  is  admirably  situated.  Particulars 
of  these  female  seminaries  may  be  found  farther  on. 

Soon  after  the  reorganization  of  the  High-school,  the 
Rev.  Chester  Dewey,  professor  of  chymistry,  botany,  nat- 
ural philosophy,  &c.,  in  the  Berkshire  Medical  Institute  at 
Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  was  called  to  be  its  principal — 
Miss  Mary  B.  Allen  being  principal  of  the  female  depart- 
ment, and  Mr.  Josiah  Perry  of  the  English  department. 
Miss  Allen  (who,  in  consequence  of  ill  health,  removed  to 
Charleston,  South  Carolina)  has  been  succeeded  by  Miss 
M.  M.  Snow. 

The  High-school  has  now  for  some  years  ranked  among 
the  largest  in  the  state  in  the  number  of  its  pupils  and  in  the 
amount  of  money  received  from  the  regents  of  the  universi- 
ty. The  whole  number  of  pupils  in  all  the  departments  of 
this  school  are  in  some  terms  nearly  300;  and  it  is  be- 
lieved that  in  no  institution  in  the  state  is  the  instruction 
more  thorough  or  better  fitted  to  the  practical  purposes  of 
life.  The  High-school  is  built  of  stone,  is  85  by  55  feet, 
three  stories  high,  surmounted  by  a  cupola  and  bell. 

The  Fitzhugh-street  Female  Seminary,  on  the  west  side 
of  the  river,  is  built  of  brick,  and  is  every  way  pleasant  in 
appearance  and  location.  In  the  management  of  it  Miss 
Jones  is  assisted  by  the  Misses  Doolittle.  The  improve- 
ments which  have  recently  beautified  the  street  so  much, 
renders  delightful  the  position  of  this  school. 

Miss  Seward's  Seminary  is  situated  in  Alexander-street, 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city.  It  is  on  elevated  ground, 
commanding  pleasant  prospects  in  all  directions.  The  ju- 
dicious arrangements  of  the  building,  and  the  taste  displayed 
in  the  extensive  garden  around  it,  are  worthy  of  particular 
notice. 

The  estimation  in  which  these  seminaries  are  held  is  suf- 
ficiently testified  by  the  number  of  pupils  from  the  surround- 
ing country  and  from  Canada,  as  well  as  from  among  our 
resident  population. 

Representations  of  the  different  seminaries  are  herewith 
inserted — and  farther  particulars  are  given  under  the  heads 
of  the  respective  institutions. 


320        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

Rochester  High-school. 

Rev.  Chester  Dewey,  Principal  of  the  Institution ;  Josiah  Perry, 
Principal  of  the  English  Department ;  Miss  M.  M.  Snow,  Principal  of 
the  Young  La<iies'  Department. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  flourishing  and  useful  literary  institutions  in 
the  state.  The  edifice,  an  ample  stone  structure  of  three  stories,  is 
pleasantly  situated  in  a  high  and  healthy  part  of  the  city.  The  grounds 
appropriated  to  the  school,  nearly  two  acres,  have  been  planted  with 
shrubbery,  and  will  soon  become  very  agreeable. 

A  valuable  philosophical  and  chymical  apparatus  has  been  procured, 
which  offers  great  advantages  to  students.  Lectures  on  experimental 
philosophy  are  given  in  the  tirst  and  second  terms  ;  and  on  chymistry  in 
the  second  or  third  term  ;  besides  which,  lectures  on  subjects  of  gen- 
era! interest  are  delivered  semi-weekly  to  the  whole  school  during  a 
considerable  part  of  the  year. 

The  school  receives  a  larger  dividend  of  the  literature  fund  than  any 
academy  in  the  state,  with  but  one  or  two  exceptions. 

The  school  is  divided  into  three  apartments,  each  being  under  the 
instruction  of  a  principal  and  as  many  assistants  as  are  necessary. 

The  whole  number  of  pupils  for  the  academic  year  ending  April,  1837, 
was,  in  the  Classical  and  Mathematical  Department,  101  ;  in  the  English 
Department,  268;   Young  Ladies'  Department,  193 — total,  562. 

The  academic  year  is  divided  into  three  terms  ;  two  of  fifteen  weeks 
each,  commencing  early  in  May  and  September ;  and  one  of  sixteen, 
commencing  early  in  January. 

The  Rochester  Female  Academy  » 

Stands  on  South  Fitzhugh-street,  and  takes  a  high  rank  among  the  val- 
uable institutions  of  the  city. 

For  a  series  of  years  the  citizens  of  Rochester  had  been  accustomed 
to  schools  of  superior  merit  for  the  education  of  females.  These 
schools,  although  the  result  of  individual  enterprise,  were  looked  upon 
with  much  favour,  and  were  at  length  considered  as  indispensable  to  the 
welfare  of  the  community.  In  January,  1835,  after  the  efforts  made  to 
sustain  the  Rochester  High-school,  it  was  resolved,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
friends  of  education,  that  another  building  should  be  erected  for  scho- 
lastic purposes,  and  that  the  new  edifice  should  be  permanently  appro- 
priated to  the  education  of  females.  The  citizens  generally  met  the 
project  with  spirit,  and  directly  sufficient  money  was  subscribed  to  pur- 
chase a  lot  and  erect  the  edifice.  Able  instructers  were  procured  ;  and 
in  May,  1836,  the  school  commenced  with  favourable  auspices,  under 
the  name  of  "  The  Rochester  Female  Seminary." 

In  April,  1837,  the  institution  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of 
"  The  Rochester  Female  Academy."  The  act  of  incorporation  is  as 
liberal  as  could  be  desired.  The  lot  is  pleasantly  and  eligibly  situated. 
The  edifice  is  built  in  good  taste,  and  its  apartments  are  arranged  with 
special  regard  to  convenience.  The  second  story  is  in  one  spacious 
hall  for  instruction  and  academical  exercises.  This  is  admirably  lighted 
and  ventilated,  and,  as  a  cheerful,  pleasant  room  for  study,  will  prob- 
ably bear  a  favourable  comparison  with  any  which  has  been  constructed 
in  the  state. 

The  institution  has  from  its  beginning  flourished  under  the  care  of  its 
competent  instructers,  Miss  J.  H.  Jones,  and  the  Misses  A.  D.  and 


SEMINARIES    OF    ROCHESTER.  321 

Julia  Doolittle.  It  has  three  departments  for  study,  with  an  average 
number  of  about  ninety  pupils.  The  course  of  studies  is  extensive,  and 
the  institution,  like  the  High-school  and  Miss  Seward's  Seminary,  com- 
mends itself  to  all  who  advocate  for  females  thorough  mental  discipline 
and  a  finished  solid  education.  The  present  trustees  are  James  K.  Liv- 
ingston, Moses  Chapin,  Elijah  F.  Smith,  Jonathan  Child,  James  Sey- 
mour, Henry  B.  Williams. 

Alexander-street  Female  Seminary. 

Miss  Sarah  T.  Seward,  Principal,  and  Teacher  of  Ethics  and  Meta- 
physics. Miss  Philena  Fobes,  Teacher  in  Drawing,  Painting,  and 
Mathematics  ;  Miss  Martha  Raymond,  Teacher  in  the  French  Lan- 
guage ;  Miss  Sarah  C.  Eaton,  Teacher  in  Natural  Science  ;  Miss  Mary 
A.  Thorpe,  Teacher  in  the  Primary  Department ;  Miss  Julia  R.  Hall  is 
also  an  assistant  teacher.  There  is  a  teacher  of  Instrumental  and  Vocal 
Music.  The  average  number  of  pupils  is  from  90  to  100,  about  half  of 
whom  board  in  the  institution.  The  catalogue  for  the  present  term 
contains  the  names  of  109  students. 

The  building  for  this  school  was  erected  in  1835.  It  is  60  feet 
deep  and  64  front,  including  its  wings,  which  are  22  feet  square.  It 
is  three  stories  high,  including  a  spacious  basement,  and  contains  about 
forty  rooms.  It  is  situated  on  a  beautiful  ridge  of  ground,  and  has 
about  five  acres  arranged  for  playground  and  garden,  with  several  hun- 
dred fruit  and  ornamental  trees. 

The  academic  year  is  divided  into  two  terms  of  22  weeks  each.  The 
winter  term  commences  on  the  first  Wednesday  in  November,  the  sum- 
mer term  the  last  Wednesday  in  April. 

There  is  an  examination  at  the  end  of  each  term — the  fall  vacation 
lasts  six  weeks,  and  the  spring  two. 

Lectures  on  history,  botany,  and  elocution  are  delivered  occasionally 
at  the  institution  by  professional  gentlemen  of  the  city. 

This  valuable  seminary  was  erected  and  is  sustained  wholly  through 
individual  enterprise.  "  Our  friends  will  recollect,"  says  the  late  report, 
"  that  we  have  no  legislative  fund  to  aid  us,  nor  trustees  to  be  inter- 
ested in  our  success  ;  and  our  institution  (if  it  deserves  the  name)  is 
simply  an  individual  effort  to  be  useful," 

Other  Schools. 

In  addition  to  the  seminaries  already  mentioned,  there  are  several 
select  schools  in  the  city — the  whole  number  of  this  class  being  eigh- 
teen. Besides  these,  there  are  thirteen  common  school  districts  and 
two  half  districts  within  the  city  limits  :  in  one  of  which  districts  a 
spacious  and  beautiful  edifice  has  been  erected — the  building  next  north 
of  St.  Luke's  Church — which  might  be  advantageously  used  as  a  model 
for  similar  structures  in  other  districts.  When  to  all  these  seminaries 
are  added  the  twenty  Sabbath-schools,  we  think  it  needless  to  say  more 
respecting  the  attention  bestowed  on  education  in  Rochester. 

It  may  be  added,  that  a  sum  equal  to  the  interest  of  $20,000  is  an- 
nually contributed  by  a  few  citizens  of  Rochester  for  paying  the  salary 
of  the  President  of  Hamilton  College,  their  late  fellow-citizen,  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Penney— a  fact  creditable  to  the  institution  and  the  individual 
that  receive  the  benefaction,  and  to  the  enlightened  and  grateful  liberal- 
ity of  the  donors. 


322        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 


THE  BAR  OF  ROCHESTER. 

It  is  a  fact  singularly  illustrative  of  the  changes  which  have  marked 
the  history  of  Western  New- York,  and  particularly  of  the  city  of  Ro- 
chester, that  the  gentleman  who  was  first  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Old 
Ontario — in  1790,  when  that  county  comprehended  all  that  portion  of 
the  state  westward  of  the  Seneca  Lake — is  now  a  practising  lawyer 
at  the  bar  of  a  city  within  that  territory  which  has  now  thirty-six 
resident  lawyers,  although  that  city  had  no  existence  even  in  name 
till  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  his  admission  to  the  bar  of  the 
county  which  formerly  included  the  site  of  the  city.  We  refer  to  Vin- 
cent Mathews.* 

The  following  communication  will  sufficiently  explain  the  introduc- 
tion here  of  a  portrait  of  that  venerable  citizen,  who  is  probably  the 
oldest  practising  lawyer  in  the  state. 

Trihule  of  Respect. 

"  The  undersigned,  members  of  the  bar  of  the  City  of  Rochester, 
desirous  of  testifying  our  respect  for  the  character  of  General  Vincent 
Mathews  as  a  citizen  and  as  a  jurist,  hereby  unite  in  requesting  that 
a  miniature  portrait  of  that  venerable  lawyer  may  be  inserted  with  the 
account  of  the  legal  profession  in  the  '  Sketches  of  Rochester  and 
Western  New-York,'  to  defray  the  expense  of  which  we  hereby  freely 
contribute  the  requisite  amount. 

"  It  may  be  remarked,  that  General  Mathews  was  the  first  person  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  Ontario,  which  county  then  (about  1790)  included 
that  large  section  of  the  state  west  of  Seneca  Lake. 

"The  junior  members  of  the  Rochester  bar  some  years  ago  caused 
a  portrait  of  the  aged  jurist  to  be  drawn  and  placed  in  the  Courthouse 
of  Monroe  at  Rochester.  The  senior  members  of  the  profession  now 
cheerfully  unite  with  their  junior  friends  in  causing  a  miniature  portrait 

*  This  veteran  left  Orange  county  for  Newiown  in  Tioga  (then  Monteomerj)  about 
1789,  where  he  locaied  for  a  while.  He  was  adnnitled  in  1790  to  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  Slate,  and  in  the  following  year  to  the  bars  of  Montgomery  and  Ontario— Oli- 
ver Phelps  presiding  at  the  lime  in  the  court  of  the  latter  county.  Then  there  was 
no  road  but  an  Indian  path  between  Newiown  and  Geneva— between  Geneva  and 
Canandaigua  a  road  wa.s  "cut,"  but  it  was  almost  impassable.  In  the  .-^aine  year 
he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  from  Montgomery  county — in  1792  he  saw  Captain 
Williamson  at  Bath,  residing  in  a  marquee,  before  a  house  was  built  in  that  quar- 
ter. About  this  tune  he  travelled  some  distance  in  the  wilderness  to  join  Major 
Hardenberg  and  Moses  De  Wilt  while  they  were  surveying  the  Military  Tract ;  and 
with  them  celebrated  the  "  4ih  of  July"  where  Aurora  now  is,  with  a  wooden  can- 
non well  hooped  for  the  patriotic  purpose.  He  was  for  several  years  a  commis- 
sioner, along  with  the  late  Judge  Kmot  and  Chancellor  I.ansinir,  for  settling  disputes 
growing  out  of  the  frauds  of  persons  who  sold  patents  for  land  in  the  Military  Tract 
rather  oftener  than  law  or  honesty  allowed.  In  1796  he  was  elected  to  the  Siate 
Senate  from  what  was  then  called  the  Western  District,  including  all  that  portion 
of  the  stale  west  of  Schoharie,  Montgomery,  and  Otsego.  In  1809  he  was  chosen  to 
represent  his  district  in  Congress,  and  was  in  the  special  session  when  Erskine's 
treaty  was  rejected,  during  the  first  year  of  Madison's  presidency.  In  1821  he  i-etlled 
at  Rochester,  where  he  has  filled  several  offices,  such  as  assemblyman,  district  attor- 
ney, &e.,  and  where  his  course  has  been  such  as  to  justify  the  good-will  which  his 
associates  have  here  publicly  manifested.  As  he  yet  lives  (and  may  he  be  spared 
many  years  among  us),  we  forbear  from  adding  more  than  a  brief  acknowledgment 
of  our  indebtedness  to  him  for  many  interesting  matters  which  we  may  use  farther 
in  ampler  accounts  of  the  settlement  of  Western  New- York. 


n^c^<x^ 


Wintted  to  tlu  Jntano  Bar  in  2,Pi>-pmi1/sin;]  at  B,;Jir'stcr  m  1S38. 
A  Tribute  of  Respect  from  Ills  A.ssociates. 


Dmwn  .in.l  JTiumiivd  rbr  L''Hemys  Sk-tdus  or  B.vlustir  .?■  Kvt,-nt  .Trti- J.VA-. 


THE   BAR   OF    ROCHESTER.  32S 

to  be  engraved  in  the  best  style  of  art  for  insertion  in  the  above-men- 
tioned work." 

The  foregoing  was  signed  by  all  the  members  of  the  profession  now 
engaged  at  the  Rochester  bar.  The  names  of  the  subscribers  will  be 
found  alphabetically  arranged  below.  The  list  includes  that  of  Addison 
Gardiner,  who  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession  on  resigning  the 
office  of  judge  of  the  eighth  district. 

Attorneys  in  Rochester  in  1838,  alphahelically  arranged. 

Bishop,  Wm.  S.  Green,  Sanford  M.  Montgomery,  Wm.  R. 

Buchan,  Patrick  G.  Haight,  Robert  Mumford,  George  H. 

Chapin,  Moses  Hamilton,  Theodore  B.  Nash,  John  C. 

Chapin,  Graham  H.  Hastings,  Orlando  Pratt,  Abner 

Delano,  M.  F.  Hills,  Isaac  Rochester,  Henry  E. 

Doolitle,  James  R.  Humphrey,  Harvey  Samson,  Ashley 

Eastman,  Joseph  A.  Lee,  Charles  M.  Selden,  Samuel  L. 

Elwood,  Isaac  R.  Lee,  E.  Smith  Smith,  E.  Darwin 

Gardiner,  Addison  Leonard,  Hiram  Smith,  Erastus  P. 

Gay,  Horace  [Mathews,  Vincent]  Stevens,  Hestor  L. 

Gilbert,  Jasper  W.  Mathews,  Selah  Wentworth,  Ariel 

Grant,  Simon  H.  Miller,  Samuel  Wheeler,  EphraimB. 
Whittlesey,  Frederic.  . ,  /,. 

Other  Attorneys  of  Monroe  County.  "'     ' 

Boughton,  Selleck )  I  tt  ,  -ci-      -d 

T>uTT-ifT»  5  Holmes,  Elias  B. 

?uX:t.i-°-)  "'"'"''"■  ]n.„o„,h.p. 

Jewett,  Simeon  B.  )  r<  Bellows,  Ira  )  t. 

Selden,  Henry  R    f  ^''^'^^'°''-        Guernsey,  Jas.  A.    K'^''"^"''"' 

Leonard,  Adams,  Penfield.  Denton  G.  Shuart,  West  Mkndon. 

John  Dorr,  Scotsville. 
Smith,  E.  Darwin  \ 

Buchan,  P.  G.       ^  Masters  in  Chancery  at  Rochester. 
Samson,  Ashley     J 

D.  Burroughs,  Jr.,  Examiner  in  Chancery  at  Brockport. 
Ashley  Samson,  First  Judge  of  Monroe,  )  p 
Abner  Pratt,  District  Attorney,  S  ^o^^h^^ter. 

Isaac  Hills,  Recorder  of  Rochester  and  Examiner  in  Chancery. 

Memoranda. — John  Mastick,  who  died  about  ten  years  ago,  and 
Hastings  R.  Bender,  who  removed  from  the  city  some  time  since,  were 
about  the  earliest  lawyers  settled  at  Rochester.  Moses  Chapin  and 
Ashley  Samson  also  commenced  the  practice  of  law  here  at  an  early 
date.  Mr.  Chapin  presided  for  several  years  as  first  judge  in  the  county 
courts — a  station  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Samson. 

Several  gentlemen,  well  known  to  our  citizens  from  their  former  as- 
sociations at  the  bar  or  on  the  bench,  reside  in  the  city,  but  are  not 
included  in  the  above  list,  as  they  are  no  longer  engaged  in  their  former 
pursuits.  Among  these  are  Elisha  B.  Strong,  formerly  first  judge, 
who  was  placed  on  the  bench  at  the  first  organization  of  the  county  in 
1821  ;  Timothy  Childs,  now  and  for  several  terms  a  representative  in 
Congress  ;  Fletcher  M.  Haight,  formerly  a  representative  in  the  Legis- 
lature, and  now  the  Cashier  of  the  Rochester  City  Bank  ;  James  K. 
Livingston,  formerly  Sheriff';  Wm.  W.  Mumford,  Jas.  H.  Gregory,  &c. 


324 


SICBTCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,  ETC. 


William  B.  Rochester,  fonnerly  of  the  Rochester  bar,  and  likewise  judge 
of  the  (.'ighth  circuit,  who  left  this  city  to  preside  over  the  U.  S.  Br.  Bank 
at  Buffalo,  has  lately  established  himself  at  the  head  of  a  bank  in  Pen- 
sacola,  Florida.  Enos  Pomeroy,  formerly  of  this  city,  has  located  at  Wy- 
oming, Genesee  county,  in  law  practice  with  John  B.  Skinner.  Alex- 
ander S.  Alexander,  a  gentleman  who  held  various  local  offices,  such  as 
alderman,  justice  of  the  peace,  &,c.,  and  who  died  lately  and  suddenly, 
much  lamented  by  many  friends,  was  one  of  the  earliest  practitioners  of 
law  who  completed  their  studies  in  this  place. 

In  September,  1820,  Judge  Roger  Skinner  held  a  session  of  the  U.  S. 
District  Court  in  Rochester,  which  was  the  first  court  of  record  held 
here.  The  first  county  court  of  the  then  new  county  of  Monroe  was 
held  at  Rochester  in  May,  1821. 


THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSION. 

Some  notes  on  the  history  of  the  diseases  of  this  region,  and  com- 
parative statements  of  the  mortality  in  Rochester  and  other  large 
towns,  may  be  found  in  the  article  on  Medical  Topography. 

Dr.  Anson  Colman,  who  lately  died,  deeply  regretted  by  his  fellow- 
citizens,  was  one  of  the  earliest  practitioners  of  physic  and  surgery  in 
this  place. 

Drs.  John  B.  Elwood  and  Frederic  F.  Backus  were  also  among  the 
earliest  physicians  in  the  city.  They  are  yet  practising ;  as  are  Drs. 
John  D.  Henry  and  James  W.  Smith,  who  were  likewise  early  settlers. 

Dr.  Levi  Ward,  Jr.,  Dr.  Matthew  Brown,  Dr.  Azel  Ensworth,  Dr. 
Orrin  E.  Gibbs,  Dr.  Eli  Day,  Dr.  M'Cracken,  and  Dr.  Ezra  Strong, 
settled  here  at  an  early  period — and  are  all  living,  but  have  not  prac- 
tised in  the  medical  profession  for  several  years. 

Dr.  Maltby  Strong,  Dr.  Alexander  Kelsey,  Dr.  Austin  Church,  Dr. 
John  Hawkes,  Dr.  Moses  Long,  and  Dr.  M'Gregor,  have,  we  believe, 
retired  from  the  profession  or  are  engaged  in  other  pursuits. 

The  practising  physicians  of  the  city  may  probably  be  correctly  set 
down  as  follows  : 

Backus,  Frederic  F.       Henry,  J.  D.  Russell,  Jas.  W. 

Bradley,  Hugh  Hunt,  S.  Shipman,  P.  G. 

Bristol,  A.  G.  Mathews,  Chauncey      Smith,  Jas.  W. 

Deforest,  Henry  A.        Marsh,  E.  S.  Smyles,  John 

Durand,  T.  B.  V.  Munn,  E.  G.  Tobey,  P.  G. 

Elwood,  John  B.  Peckham,  E.  G.  Van  Every,  J.  H. 

Havill,  T.  Reid,  W^ra.  W.  Wright,  H. 


Horatio  N.  Fenn, 


Surgeon  Dentists. 
Lewis  K.  Faulkner,       S.  W.  Jones. 


Officers  of  the  Monroe  County  Medical  Society  for  1837-8. 

William  W.  Reid,  President  ;  John  R.  Smith,  Vice-president ;  E. 
G.  Munn,  Secretary  ;  Frederic  F.  Backus,  Treasurer  ;  John  B.  El- 
wood, John  D.  Henry,  F.  F.  Backus,  J.  W.  Smith,  C.  M'Questin,  Soc- 
rates Smith,  J.  E.  Camp,  Censors. 


PRESS    OF    ROCHESTER.  325 


THE  NEWSPAPER  ESTABLISHMENTS. 

This  is  the  twelfth  year  since  the  estabhshment  of  a  daily  newspaper 
in  Rochester,  the  event  having  taken  place  in  1826.  That  enterprise 
was  the  first  experiment  of  a  diurnal  print  west  of  Albany.  The  novelty 
of  the  thing — of  a  daily  publication  emanating  from  a  place  that  was  sud- 
denly emerging  from  the  woods — occasioned  much  remark,  not  only 
through  the  United  States,  but  in  Europe.  It  contributed  essentially  to 
render  the  importance  of  the  place  well  and  quickly  known ;  as  the  fact 
that  business  and  prospects  were  deemed  sufficiently  encouraging  to 
justify  the  enterprise  was  in  itself  a  strong  practical  argument  respect- 
ing the  growing  value  of  the  then  village  of  Rochester. 

This  first  daily  paper,  for  a  second  sprung  up  soon  after,  was  pub- 
lished by  Luther  Tucker,  and  edited  for  several  years  by  Henry  O'Reilly. 
It  was  called  the  Rochester  Daily  Advertiser.  Connected  with  it  is  a 
weekly  paper  called  the  "  Rochester  Republican."  Thomas  W.  Flagg 
is  the  present  editor. 

The  second  daily  print,  started  soon  after,  was  styled  the  "  Rochester 
Telegraph,"  published  by  Weed  and  Martin — Thurlow  Weed  being 
then  editor.  Mr.  Weed  was  elected  twice  to  the  Assembly,  and  finally 
established  in  Albany  as  editor  of  the  Evening  Journal.  Mr.  Martin 
sold  the  Telegraph  to  Luther  Tucker,  by  whom  it  was  merged  in  the 
Daily  Advertiser  establishment.  Mr.  Martin  died  lately  in  Albany — he 
was  formerly  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Albany  Daily  Advertiser. 

Another  daily  paper,  in  lieu  of  the  Telegraph,  was  soon  afterward 
started  by  Shepard  and  Strong — George  Dawson  has  since  become 
connected  with  the  press,  and  i§  now  the  editor.  The  paper  is  called 
the  "  Rochester  Daily  Democrat,"  and  has  attached  a  weekly  print. 

These  daily  papers  had  to  struggle  with  considerable  difficulties  for 
some  time.  The  business,  which  would  have  handsomely  sustained  one, 
yielded  for  a  while  scant  sustenance  for  two.  However,  the  fact  that 
both  of  the  daily  newspaper  establishments  have  so  long  weathered  the 
storm,  coupled  with  the  present  aspect  of  their  advertismg  columns  and 
the  brightening  prospects  of  the  city,  justifies  the  belief  that  both  can  be 
permanently  sustained  with  fair  prospects  of  adequate  reward  in  future 
for  toil  which  few  can  properly  appreciate  who  are  unacquainted  with 
the  routine  of  a  daily  morning  newspaper  establishment. 

The  first  weekly  newspaper  established  in  Rochester  was  com- 
menced in  1816  by  Dauby  and  Sheldon.  It  was  called  the  "Roches- 
ter Gazette."*  This  gazette  was  afterward  called  the  Rochester  Re- 
publican, and  published  for  some  years  by  Derick  and  Levi  W.  Sib- 
ley. Frederic  Whittlesey  and  Edwin  Scrantom  followed  them  in  the 
publication ;  and  in  1827  the  establishment  was  sold  to  the  publisher 
of  the  Daily  Advertiser,  in  connexion  with  which  print  the  Republican 
has  ever  since  been  issued.  Messrs.  Whittlesey  and  Derick  Sibley 
have  since  served  several  years  as  representatives,  the  first  in  Congress 
and  the  last  in  the  State  Legislature. 

*  Soon  after  its  establishment  Mr.  Dauby  remoTed  to  Utica,  of  which  place  he  hag 
been  postmaster  for  several  years. 

28 


326        SKETCHES  OP  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

The  second  weekly  newspaper  was  established  by  Everard  Peck  and 
Co.  in  1818.  It  was  called  the  Rochester  Telegraph — the  same  which 
was  converted  into  a  daily  paper  in  1827  by  Weed  and  Martin,  as  above 
mentioned. 

The  Rochester  Album,  published  by  Elihu  F.  Marshall,  and  the 
Craftsman,  published  by  E.  J.  Roberts,  existed  for  a  few  years.  The 
first  was  merged  in  the  Telegraph,  and  the  latter  ceased  after  some 
abortive  eilorts  by  Mr.  Roberts  to  establish  a  daily  paper  in  connexion 
with  his  concern. 

The  publications  of  the  City  of  Rochester  now  are — 

The  Rochester  Daily  Advertiser,  with  a  weekly  adjunct  called  the 
Rochester  Republican — Luther  Tucker,  publisher — Thomas  W.  Flagg, 
editor. 

The  Rochester  Daily  Democrat,  with  a  weekly  paper  called  the 
Rochester  Democrat — Shepherd,  Strong,  and  Dawson,  publishers — 
George  Dawson,  Jr.,  editor. 

The  Genesee  Farmer,  weekly  and  monthly — edited  by  Luther  Tuck- 
er, assisted  by  Willis  Gaylord  and  John  Thomas,  of  Onondaga  county. 

The  Rochester  Gem,  quarto,  published  semi-monthly  from  the  office 
of  the  "Democrat." 

The  Rochester  Pearl,  quarto,  published  semi-monthly  by  F.  Grant 
Norton. 

We  cannot  neglect  the  opportunity  to  express  our  hearty  satisfaction 
at  the  now  widespread  circulation  of  the  "  Genesee  Farmer"  through 
the  Union  and  the  Canadas.  The  concurring  testimonials  of  many  of 
the  most  intelligent  men  in  various  sections  of  the  land  render  us  con- 
fident that  we  will  be  cordially  sustained  by  multitudes  in  expressing 
the  belief  that  a  print  never  existed  that  was  better  suited  to  elevate 
the  condition  of  the  great  agricultural  interest.  The  establishment  was 
for  some  years  a  doubtful  experiment.  Its  receipts  yielded  a  very  in- 
adequate return  for  the  labour  requisite  to  its  sustenance — without  con- 
sidering the  intellectual  ability  which  distinguished  its  course.  The 
persevering  spirit  of  Mr.  Tucker — the  zeal  with  which  he  has  struggled 
through  great  difficulties  in  sustaining  the  enterprise,  are  worthy  of 
the  reward  which  an  intelligent  people  rarely  fail  to  bestow  on  well-di- 
rected efforts  for  the  improvement  of  society. 

The  versatile  talents  of  Willis  Gaylord,  of  Otisco,  Onondaga,  coupled 
with  the  ability  of  David  and  John  Thomas  and  Dan  Bradley,  of  the  same 
county,  have  contributed  largely  to  the  success  of  the  Genesee  Farmer. 
Those  gentlemen  are  and  have  been  for  years  among  the  principal  con- 
tributors to  its  columns  ;  and  we  may  add  here,  that,  among  the  many 
spirited  correspondents,  Lewis  F.  Allen,  of  Buffalo,  should  be  named  for 
his  exertions  to  encourage  agricultural  improvement,  not  only  by  his 
practice  at  home,  but  by  his  writings  through  the  Genesee  Farmer,  and 
by  his  efforts  in  the  Legislature,  of  which  he  is  now  a  member. 

If  those  men  may  be  considered  pubhc  benefactors  who  "  cause  two- 
blades  of  grass  to  grow  where  but  one  grew  before,"  these  remarks 
may  not  be  considered  inappropriate  when  speaking  of  the  contributors 
to  such  a  print  as  the  "  Genesee  Farmer." 


■  •<(  Hiffi 


MILITARY.  327 


MILITARY. 


Our  military  annals  are,  luckily,  not  remarkably  eventful.  The  only 
movement  of  a  belligerent  nature  among  our  people  was  that  when  "  the 
thirty-three,"  constituting  the  whole  arms-bearing  population  of  Roch- 
ester in  1814,  hurried  down  to  the  junction  of  the  Genesee  and  Onta- 
rio to  unite  with  the  few  neighbouring  militia  in  repelling  the  British 
fleet.     The  rolls  for  1838  show  the  names  of  the  following 

Officers  whose  headquarters  are  in  Rochester, 

Major-General  Abner  Hubbard,  23d  division,  comprising  the  46th 
and  33d  brigades  of  infantry.  Staff:  Lieut.  Col.  Johnson  I.  Robins, 
Division  Inspector  ;  Alexis  Ward,  Judge  Advocate  ;  Lewis  K.  Faulkner, 
Division  Surgeon  ;  Major  Wm.  E.  Lathrop,  Aiddecamp  ;  Wm.  Chur- 
chill, Aiddecamp  ;   Heman  Loomis,  Paymaster. 

[Gen.  Stevens  has  just  been  appointed  major-general,  in  lieu  of  Gen. 
Hubbard,  resigned.] 

Brigadier-General  Hestor  L.  Stevens,  46th  brigade,  compnsmg  one 
battalion  of  cavalry  and  six  regiments  of  infantry.  Staff:  Major  Joseph 
Medbery,  Brigade  Inspector ;  E.  Darwin  Smith,  Judge  Advocate  ;  E. 
Peshine  Smith,  Aiddecamp  ;  Captain  Hiram  Leonard,  Quartermaster  ; 
Samuel  Richardson,  Paymaster ;   Surgeon,  J.  H.  Van  Every. 

Brigadier- General  Ashbel  W.  Riley,  3d  Rifle  Brigade,  2d  division 
of  Riflemen.  Staff:  Major  E.  Henry  Barnard,  Division  Inspector; 
Jasper  W.  Gilbert,  Judge  Advocate  ;  Captain  L.  B.  Swan,  Aiddecamp; 
George  H.  Evans,  Quartermaster ;  Hiram  Bancker,  Paymaster ;  Sur- 
geon, Alexander  Kelsey.  This  brigade  consists  of  the  1st,  18th,  and 
22d  regiments  of  riflemen.  The  1st  regiment  was,  as  its  name  im- 
ports, the  earliest  formed  rifle  regiment  in  the  state. 

Major  K.  H.  Van  Rensselaer,  1st  battalion  of  Cavalry  and  Horse 
Artillery,  attached  to  the  46th  brigade,  23d  division.  Staff:  Lieut. 
Mortimer  F.  Reynolds,  Adjutant ;  H.  N.  Curtiss,  Quartermaster  ;  J, 
A.  Schermerhorn,  Paymaster. 

Col.  Joseph  Wood,  25th  regiment  of  Artillery,  8th  brigade,  4th  divi- 
sion ;  Lieut.  Col.  David  Miller;  Major  James  Williams.  Staff:  Lieut. 
Jason  Bassett,  Adjutant ;  J.  M'Dill,  Quartermaster  ;  N.  H.  Blossom, 
Paymaster  ;   Surgeon,  H.  Wells. 

Colonel  Horace  Gay,  18th  Rifle  regiment,  3d  brigade,  2d  division  ; 
Lieut.  Col.  Ariel  Wentworth  ;  Major  H.  B.  Dannals.  Staff:  Lieut, 
J.  M.  Hatch,  Adjutant;  A.  M.  Williams,  Quartermaster;  Carlos 
Cobb,  Paymaster  ;   Surgeon,  E.  G.  Munn. 

Col.  Amos  Sawyer,  178th  regiment  of  Infantry,  4fith  brigade,  23d 
division ;  Lieut.  Col.  Christopher  T.  Amsden  ;  Major  R.  A.  Hall. 
Lieut.  Edwin  Avery,  Adjutant ;  Thomas  M.  Watson,  Quartermaster  ; 
G.  W.  Dingman,  Paymaster. 

The  uniform  companies  located  in  Rochester  are  the  Artillery,  com- 
manded by  Capt.  Evan  Evans  ;  the  Rifle  Guards,  commanded  by  Capt. 
Jacob  Howe  ;  the  Volunteers,  commanded  by  Capt.  P.  J.  M'Namara ; 
the  Cavalry  Guards,  commanded  by  Capt.  J.  I.  Reilly  ;  the  City  Guards, 
commanded  by  Capt.  T.  B.  V.  Durand  ;  the  Washington  Guards,  com- 
manded by  Capt.  J.  Depau  ;  the  Pioneers,  commanded  by  Capt.  Pat' 
rick  G.  Buchan, 


328  SKETCHES    OF   ROCHESTER,   ETC. 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 

Although  the  city  has  hecn  unusually  exempt  from  the  ravages  of 
fire,  the  organization  of  the  fire  department  has  been  generally  well 
sustained.  There  are  six  first-rate  fire  engines,  manufactured  by 
Selye's  valuable  establishment  m  this  city  ;  with  four  companies  of 
hook  and  ladder,  hose,  axemen,  &c.  The  great  increase  of  the  place, 
however,  requires  that  still  greater  care  should  be  taken  in  hav- 
ing a  larger  supply  of  engines,  and  all  well  manned  ;  though,  in  justice 
to  the  present  companies,  it  should  be  stated  that  the  fire  department, 
as  regards  both  men  and  apparatus,  need  not  shrink  from  comparison 
with  that  of  any  other  city  of  similar  size.  Hydraultoiis  are  connected 
with  the  machinery  in  some  factories  ;  which,  worked  by  water  power, 
have  already  rendered  signal  service  in  preventing  the  spread  of  fire  in 
their  vicinity.  There  need  be  no  lack  of  water  for  preventing  confla- 
gration in  any  part  of  the  city  so  long  as  the  Genesee  River  and  Erie 
Canal  run  through  Rochester,  south,  north,  east,  and  west. 

Chief  Engineer,  Alfred  Judson  ;  Assistant  Engineers,  P.  D.  Wright 
and  R.  A.  Bunnell. 

Fire  Company  No.  1. —  Wm.  P.  Smith,  Foreman;  Jas.  N.  Lang- 
worthy,  Assistant ;  Isaac.  W.  Congdon,  Secretary. 

No.  2. — P.  W.  Jennings,  Foreman  ;  J.  Stroup,  Assistant  ;  R.  Keeler, 
Secretary. 

No.  3. — George  Arnold,  Foreman  ;  George  Brewster,  Assistant ; 
George  Whitney,  Secretary. 

No.  4. — J.  D.  Hawkes,  Foreman  ;  J.  W.  Bissell,  Assistant  ;  L. 
Bell,  Secretary. 

No.  5. — A.  Green,  Foreman ;  Joseph  Hanniss,  Assistant ;  R.  A. 
Hall,  Secretary. 

No.  6. — A.  J.  Langworthy,  Foreman ;  George  Sprigg,  Assistant ; 
C.  S.  Underwood,  Secretary. 

Hook  and  Ladder  No.  1— T.  B.  Hamilton,  Foreman  ;  C.  H.  Bick- 
nell.  Assistant ;  H.  H.  Brewster,  Secretary. 

No.  2. — Wm.  Blossom,  Foreman ;  G.  A.  Wilkins,  Assistant ;  H. 
Moore,  Secretary. 

Hose  Company. — Henry  S.  Flower,  Foreman  ;  Wm.  Cook,  Assist- 
ant ;  James  C.  Wells,  Secretary. 

Bucket  Company. — Twenty-six  members. 

The  "  Firemen's  Benevolent  Association''^ 

Is  accumulating  a  considerable  fund  to  provide  relief  for  disabled  fire- 
men or  their  families.  The  mammoth  cheese  presented  to  the  city 
corporation  by  Col.  Meacham,  of  Oswego  county,  in  1835,  was  sold  in 
pieces  at  auction  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  this  association,  and  the 
proceeds  amounted  to  several  hundred  dollars.  This  was  the  first  im- 
portant donation. 

The  officers  of  the  Benevolent  Association  for  the  year  1838  are — 


FIRES.  329 

President,  Erastus  Cook  ;  1st  Vice-president,  Peter  W.  Jennings  ;  2d 
Vice-president,  William  Blossom  ;  Secretary,  W^m.  R.  Montgomery  ; 
Treasurer,  John  Williams;  Collector,  A.  J.  Langworthy.  Trustees — 
Fire  Co.  No.  1,  Wm.  S.  Whittlesey  ;  No.  2,  Edward  Roggen ;  No.  3, 
Isaac  Holms  ;  No.  4,  John  T.  Talman  ;  No.  5,  E.  B.  Wheeler ;  No. 
6,  William  Ailing.  Hook  and  Ladder  Co.  No.  1,  William  Brewster; 
No.  2,  James  Bradshaw.     Hose  Co.  No.  ],  Heman  Loomis. 

Fires  in  the  City  of  Rochester— 1835,  1836,  1837. 

The  following  table  of  fires  where  the  engines  were  used  has  been 
politely  furnished  by  Mr.  Wm.  Myers,  sexton  of  the  city. 

1835.  Jan.  5,  the  great  Methodist  Church  (rebuilt).  Feb.  8,  Hill 
&  Bates's  mill,  now  E.  W.  Scrantom's,  damaged.  Feb.  15,  O.  Sage's 
barn,  &c.  May  14,  one  of  Pease's  houses,  Cornhill.  June  30, 
Moore's  store  on  the  main  bridge.  July  23,  S.  O.  Smith's  dryhouse. 
Aug.  2,  Lewis  Selye's  furnace.  Aug.  13,  Judge  Cbapin's  barn. 
Nov.  3,  Judge  Chapin's  barn.  [The  burning  of  these  barns  were 
among  the  most  daring  acts  of  incendiarism  known  in  this  city,  if  not 
the  only  palpable  ones  in  its  history.]  Nov.  16,  a  house  on  Brown 
Square.  Nov.  16,  at  Graves's  tannery.  So  that  there  were  but  eleven 
fires  in  1835;  and  of  these,  the  heaviest  losses  were  by  the  burning  of 
the  church,  of  Selye's  furnace,  and  of  Moore's  store. 

1836.  Feb.  6,  Lewis  Selye's  engine-shop  :  loss  considerable.  July 
13,  Child's  marble  block,  warehouses,  &c.,  between  the  Rochester 
House  and  the  river  :  loss  heavy.  Oct.  4,  Lyon's  diehouse  at  their 
woollen  factory.  Only  three  fires  requiring  the  use  of  engines  in  1836  ! 
This  exemption  from  fire  is  both  remarkable  and  gratifying,  and  reflects 
much  credit  on  the  firewardens  of  the  city,  as  well  as  on  the  general 
carefulness  of  the  citizens. 

1837.  Feb.  16,  Howard's  grocery,  South  St.  Paul's-street.  March 
4,  Warren's  house,  North  Chnton-street.  March  5,  Parmelee's  cooper- 
shop,  Buffalo-street.  March  17,  F.  WTiittlesey's  dwelling,  St.  Paul's- 
street.  March  30,  Selye's  engine-shop  and  Lyon's  cloth  factory. 
This  was  the  second  time  Selye's  shop  was  burnt.  Lyon's  factory  was 
an  excellent  establishment,  and  had  just  been  sold  to  other  persons. 
April  5,  Sol.  Hunt's  dwelling.  North-street.  April  26,  J.  T.  Talman's 
house.  Exchange-street,  let  to  Mrs.  Goff.  June  11,  an  extensive  fire 
corner  of  Front  and  Main  streets,  destroying  buildings  owned  or  occu- 
pied by  Barton,  Bancker  &  Avery,  M.  Parsons  &  Co.,  J.  Graves,  N.  T. 
Rochester,  near  the  northwest  corner  of  the  main  bridge  across  the  river. 
June  18,  the  Globe  Buildings,  second  time,  by  which  numerous  machine- 
shops  were  destroyed,  and  many  men  thrown  out  of  employment  tem- 
porarily. July  9,  Bartholic's  chemical  laboratory,  Exchange-street. 
July  24,  Smith's  carpet  factory,  near  the  Middle  Falls.  July  27,  Curry's 
blacksmith  shop.  Exchange-street.  Oct.  4,  Hydraulic  buildings,  Be- 
mish's  mill,  the  oil-mill  of  Perrin,  Barton  &  Guild's  edge-tool  factory, 
H.  W.  Stager's  edge-tool  factory,  Gilbert's  rifle  factory,  the  turning 
shops  of  Graves  &  Kilbourn,  and  of  Richardson  and  Lee,  with  various 
other  mechanics'  shops.  The  fire  was  with  diflficulty  prevented  from 
spreading  to  Strong's  City  Mills,  &c.  Oct.  €,  Stroup  and  Robins's 
joiner-shop.  River  Alley.  Little  damage  was  sustained  by  fire  during 
the  winter  of  1837-8. 

28* 


330  SKETCHES    OP    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 


BANKING  AND  ENSURANCE  COMPANIES. 

The  Bank  of  Rochester 

Was  incorporated  in  1S24,  the  charter  to  expire  in  1840.  The  capital 
is  S250,000.  James  Seymour  is  President  ;  David  Scoville,  Cashier  ; 
Jose])li  Alleyn,  Bookkeeper  ;  Henry  W.  Davis,  Discount  Clerk  ;  E. 
S.  Warner,  Teller.  The  former  presidents  of  this  bank  were  Nathan- 
iel Rochester,  Elisha  B.  Strong,  Levi  Ward,  Jr.,  and  Frederic  Bushnell. 
The  first  and  last  named  are  dead. 

Bank  of  Monroe, 

Incorporated  in  1829,  one  of  the  first  chartered  under  the  Safety-Fund 
Act,  capital  8300,000.  J.  M.  Schermerhorn,  President  ;  Ralph  Lester, 
Cashier  ;  J.  N.  Langworlhy,  Teller  ;  William  S.  Whittlesey,  Book- 
keeper. From  its  foundation  until  recently,  Abraham  M.  Schermer- 
horn was  president  and  John  T.  Tallman  cashier. 

Rochester  City  Bank, 

Chartered  in  1836,  capital  S400,000.  Jacob  Gould  was  the  first  presi- 
dent, and  resigned  about  the  beginning  of  1838.  Everard  Peck  is 
Vice-president  and  Fletcher  M.  Haight  Cashier  ;  J.  W.  Bissell,  Teller  ; 
Mr.  Blyth,  Bookkeeper ;  Christopher  T.  Amsden,  Discount  Clerk. 
The  edifice  erected  by  this  bank  is  a  chaste  and  beautiful  structure, 
the  front  of  Lockport  stone.     See  Engraving. 

Rochester  Savings  Bank, 

Incorporated  in  1831.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1836,  the  institution  had 
invested  in  loans  on  real  estate,  $37,500,  on  deposite  in  banks  in  the 
city,  $12,000.  Received  of  depositors  during  the  year  1835,  $100,000, 
The  officers  are  Levi  Ward,  Jr.,  President ;  Jacob  Gould,  Vice-presi- 
dent ;  John  Haywood,  Treasurer ;  David  Scoville,  Secretary  ;  Isaac 
Hills,  Attorney  ;  A.  M.  Schermerhorn  and  A.  M.  Williams,  Funding 
Committee. 

Monroe  County  Mutual  Ensurance  Company, 
Chartered  in  1836,  and  now  rapidly  extending  its  operations  as  the 
merits  of  the  system  become  better  understood.  As  in  the  mutual  en- 
surance companies  of  New-England,  each  person  ensured  becomes  a 
■member  pledged  to  pay  his  proportion  (from  a  per  centage  charged  upon 
his  policy)  of  whatever  losses  may  be  incurred  upon  property  ensured 
by  the  company.  A.  M.  Schermerhorn,  President ;  Levi  A.  Ward, 
Secretary. 

Other  Ensurance  Companies 
Have  agencies  in  Rochester.     Levi.  A.  Ward  is  Agent  for  the  Hartford 
and  Etna  Fire  Ensurances  of  Hartford,  Con.  ;  for  the  Howard  Fire  En- 
surance Company,  and  the  Life  Ensurance  and  Trust  Company  of  New- 


ROCHESTER  CITY  BANK. 
Built  of  Lockport  stone,  resembling  in  style  the  front  of  the  Bank  of  Amer- 
ica in  New-York.     Situate  on  State-street. 


POSTOFFICE.  331 

York  ;  and  for  the  Trader's  Ensurance  Company,  with  power  to  ensure 
upon  the  lakes. 

Walter  S.  Griffith  is  Agent  of  the  Troy  Ensurance  Company. 

John  Hawkes  is  Agent  for  the  American  Life  Ensurance  and  Trust 
Company,  and  for  the  Schenectady  and  Saratoga  Ensurance  Companies. 

Theodore  B.  Hamilton  is  Agent  for  the  Northwestern  Ensurance 
Company  for  ensuring  vessels  and  cargoes  ;  for  the  Albany  Ensurance 
Company,  and  for  the  Firemen's  Ensurance  Company  of  Albany. 

H.  A.  Brewster  is  Agent  for  the  Saratoga  County  Ensurance  Com- 
pany, and  for  the  Spring-Garden  Ensmance  Company  of  Philadelphia. 


ROCHESTER  POSTOFFICE. 

The  history  of  the  Rochester  Postoffice  furnishes  some  singular  inci- 
dents illustrative  of  the  progress  of  improvement  in  the  city  and  sur- 
rounding country.  It  is  characteristic  of  the  business  and  intelligence 
of  the  citizens. 

The  postoffice  was  established  when  a  village  was  first  projected  and 
named  Rochester.  This  was  in  1812,  when  Abelard  Reynolds  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster.  At  that  period  the  mail  was  weekly  carried  through 
these  parts  from  Canandaigua — the  mailcarrier  being  occasionally  a  wo- 
mair,  who  performed  the  duty  on  horseback.  This  latter  circumstance 
occasioned  some  waggeiT  from  the  only  lawyer  then  located  hereabout 
(John  Mastick),  whose  demand  for  letters  was  frequently  preceded  by 
an  inquiry  if  the  fe-male  had  arrived.  The  "  spoils"  of  the  postoffice 
could  not  have  been  very  enormous  at  that  time,  as  the  whole  receipts 
for  postage  in  the  first  quarter  fell  short  of  three  dollars  and  fifty  cents. 
As  late  as  1815  one  of  our  present  citizens  had  authority  to  designate 
the  location  of  postoffices  wherever  he  would  agree  to  deliver  the  mail 
once  a  week  for  all  the  postage  which  he  might  collect  in  nearly  all  the 
country  between  Canandaigua  and  the  Niagara  River,  and  from  the 
Canandaigua  and  BuflTalo  road  northward  to  the  shores  of  Lake  Ontario  ! 
The  tract  liberally  allotted  for  the  above  mail  arrangement  is  about  25 
or  30  miles  wide  and  100  miles  long,  including  now  the  populous  coun- 
ties of  Monroe,  Orleans,  and  Niagara,  with  such  flourishing  towns  as 
Rochester,  Lockport,  Albion,  Brockport,  Pittsford,  Scottsville,  &c.  No 
regular  postroute  was  established  through  Rochester  till  within  twenty 
years — as  it  was  not  till  1816  that  Congress,  on  motion  of  Gen.  Micah 
Brooks,  directed  the  proper  committee  to  "  inquire  into  the  expediency 
of  establishing  a  mailroute  from  Canandaigua  to  Lewiston  by  way  of  the 
village  of  Rochester." 

The  gross  receipts  of  the  Rochester  postoffice  averaged  about  $4000 
per  quarter  during  the  year  1837.  Something  of  a  contrast  between  this 
sum  and  the  $3  42  produced  by  the  office  for  the  first  quarter  after  its 
estabhshment  in  1812.  Such  is  one  of  the  vast  changes  effected  in  a 
single  quarter  century  !  The  postoffice  business  places  Rochester  third 
among  the  cities  of  the  Empire  State. 

It  is  proper  to  add  that  the  postage  accruing  here  is  not  occasioned  or 
swelled  by  any  income  from  the  distributing  business,  as  this  is  not 
what  is  termed  a  "  distributing  office." 

John  B.  Elwood,  appointed  as  the  successor  of  Mr.  Reynolds  in  the 
postoffice  in  July,  1829,  has  held  the  appointment  to  the  present  time, 


332        SKETCHES  OP  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

1838.  Dr.  Elwood  was  reappointed  last  year  for  a  term  of  four  years  ; 
but  lately  sent  in  his  resignation,  to  take  clfect  from  the  close  of  the 
current  quarter,  30th  June.  No  appointment  had  been  made  to  fill  the 
vacancy  when  these  pages  were  printed. 

A.  K.  Amsden  is  the  principal  assistant  in  the  office,  aided  by  A.  M. 
Fish  and  two  or  three  other  clerks. 

Mails  Leaving  Rochester  by  Stages  and  Railroads  in  1838. 

A  mail  daily  eastward  through  Canandaigua,  departing  at  4  A.M. 

Another  on  same  route,  leaving  Rochester  at  2  P.M. 

Another  mail  daily  eastward  through  Palmyra,  4  P.M. 

One  daily  mail  west  on  the  Ridge-Road  to  Lewiston,  at  8  A.  M. 

One  daily  mail  west  to  Buffalo  on  the  Tonnewanta  Railroad,  &c. 
The  mail  closes  at  Rochester  at  8  A.M.  and  railroad  cars  start  in  win- 
ter at  9  A.M.  ;  in  summer  twice  a  day,  8  A.M.  and  3  P.M. 

One  daily  mail  south  through  Genesee,  at  8  A.M. 

One  daily  mail  south  through  Scottsville  and  Caledonia,  at  8  A.M. 

One  daily  mail  to  Oswego,  &c.,  at  4  A.M. 

Besides  these,  there  are  stages  and  mails  for  several  of  the  neighbour- 
ing towns. 

CANAL  TRADE  AT  ROCHESTER. 

Nowhere  west  of  the  Hudson  is  the  annual  receipt  of  canal  toll  so 
large  as  at  the  City  of  Rochester.  Such  is  the  extent  to  which  our  cit- 
izens are  interested  in  the  canal  navigation,  that  the  Rochester  for- 
warders have  a  larger  proportion  of  stock  m  the  transportation  lines 
than  the  people  of  any  other  city  in  the  state — indeed,  it  is  asserted  that 
they  own  or  control  about  one  half  of  the  whole  amount  of  stock  in 
those  lines. 

Well  might  the  editor  of  the  Encyclopaedia  Americana  declare  (even 
in  1831,  since  which  our  citizens  have  become  still  more  largely  inter- 
ested in  the  canal  trade)  that  the  great  number  of  "  boats  built,  equipped, 
and  owned  principally  at  Rochester,  make  it  the  seat  of  the  transpor- 
tation business,  and  the  various  trades  connected  with  it — giving  em- 
ployment to  numerous  e.xtensive  boat-building  estabhshments,"  (Sec. 
"  The  superior  white  oak  and  pine  lumber  here,  with  its  central  location 
at  the  turning  point  of  water-conveyance  between  the  West,  New- York, 
and  Montreal,  confer  these  peculiar  advantages  on  Rochester." — Ency- 
clopfedia  Americana,  vol.  xi.,  p.  54. 

The  enlargement  of  the  Erie  Canal  will  have  an  immense  effect  in 
enlarging  the  connexions  of  the  people  of  Rochester  with  the  trans- 
portation business  and  the  boat-building,  and  other  trades  connected 
therewith.  The  construction  of  the  Genesee  Valley  Canal,  now  spir- 
itedly commenced,  must  have  also  a  powerful  effect  in  increasing  the 
prosperity  of  the  city  in  like  manner. 

Jas.  Smith,  Esq.,  of  West  Mendon,  who  in  1836  was  canal  collector 
here,  furnished  the  following  statement  of  the  property  received  or  ship- 
ped by  the  Erie  Canal  from  Rochester  (the  commerce  by  Lake  Onta- 
rio and  Genesee  River  is  elsewhere  mentioned).  Although  in  1836,  as 
in  1837,  the  influence  of  short  crops  and  pecuniary  pressure  prevented 
such  extensive  flouring  operations  as  would  have  otherwise  taken  place 
with  the  increased  milling  power,  the  export  of  our  staple  commodity 


CANAL    TRADE. 


333 


amounted  to  about  370,000  barrels  by  the  canal  alone,  exclusive  of 
shipments  by  the  lake  and  supplies  for  the  surrounding  country.  The 
table  is  interesting  as  showing  not  merely  the  quantities,  but  the  quali- 
ties of  freight  which  arrived  and  departed  at  Rochester  by  the  Erie 
Canal. 


1836. 

Shipped. 

Landed. 

Sundries,  lbs. 

.     1,668,575 

441,364 

Domestic  spirits,  gallons 

44,978 

Boards  and  scantling,  feet 

753,173 

229,780 

Shingles,  M.          ... 

146 

Timber,  feet 

9,500 

22,651 

Staves,  lbs. 

585,688 

869,251 

Flour,  bis. 

.        368,842 

2,344 

Wheat,  bushels     . 

151,714 

365,328 

Barley,       "... 

2,112 

Rye,           "... 

1,298 

Corn,          "... 

8,323 

Other  grain,  bushels 

14,834 

15,230 

Bran  and  ship  stuffs,  bushels 

241,391 

Peas  and  beans,              " 

1,141 

Potatoes, 

1,040 

440 

Pork,  barrels, 

251 

303 

Beef,       "               ... 

837 

688 

Salt,         "               ... 

860 

19,977 

Ashes,     "              ... 

4,249 

212 

Lime,       "               ... 

421 

2,642 

Dried  fruit,                       lbs.  . 

15,944 

2,330 

Clover  and  grass  seed,    "      . 

491,976 

81,093 

Flaxseed                           " 

2,400 

3,620 

Wool,                                "      . 

.        370,505 

6,.525 

Cotton,                              "  .    . 

604 

51,231 

Cheese,                             »      . 

81,844 

9,042 

Butter  and  lard,               "      . 

55,143 

14,430 

Hops,                                "      . 

21,450 

4,229 

Tobacco,                           "      . 

15,805 

49,296 

Leather,                            "      . 

83,177 

17,131 

Fur,                                   "      . 

1,715 

Peltry,                                "      . 

56,912 

63,055 

Gypsum,                             " 

224,899 

472,981 

Stone,                                 "      . 

1,306,672 

1,533,371 

Domestic  cotton,              "      . 

8.782 

Woollens,                           "      . 

51,322 

Merchandise,                     "      . 

3,688,360 

5,488,143 

Furniture,                         " 

2,115,904 

1,036,039 

Clay,                                  "      . 

8,820 

219,200 

Mineral  coal,                    "      . 

346,450 

578,903 

Pig  iron,                             "      . 

68,095 

397,308 

Ironware,                        "      . 

383,097 

644,205 

The  toll  at  Rochester  in  1836,  $190,000  55,  exceeded  by  about 
$16,000  the  toll  of  the  previous  year ;  so  that  about  one  quarter  of  the 
whole  increase  of  toll  on  the  canal  in  1836  occurred  at  this  city.- 

The  toll  collected  in  1837  amounted  to  $179,083  54,  a  smaller  dimi- 


334  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

nution  from  the  sum  of  the  previous  year  than  might  have  been  expected 
amid  the  general  stagnation  in  the  business  of  tJie  country. 

Capt.  Israel  Smith  is  the  present  collector  of  canal  toll  at  Rochester. 


THE  ROCHESTER  OR  GENESEE  DISTRICT. 

This  revenue  district  has  a  frontier  of  about  seventy  miles  on  Lake 
Ontario,  extending  from  Oak-Orchard  Creek  in  Orleans  county  to  So- 
dus  Bay  m  Wayne  county.  A  port  of  entry  was  established  at  what  is 
now  known  as  the  harbour  of  Rochester  in  the  year  1805,  when  Sam- 
uel Latta,  residing  at  the  junction  of  the  river  and  lake,  in  the  village  of 
Charlotte,  was  appointed  the  first  collector.  Jesse  Hawley  held  the 
office  of  collector  for  several  years  ;  and  in  1829  Jacob  Gould,  residing 
in  Rochester,  was  appointed  collector  of  the  district,  following  Mr. 
Hawley.  A  deputy  collector  is  stationed  at  Pulteneyville,  Wayne 
county  ;  another,  Hiram  Humphrey,  is  stationed  at  the  Ontario  Steam- 
boat Landing,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  City  of  Rochester  ;  a  third, 
Henry  S.  Benton,  is  stationed  at  Charlotte,  at  the  junction  of  the  river 
and  lake,  five  miles  north  of  the  north  Ime  of  the  City  of  Rochester. 
Asahel  S.  Beers  is  also  a  deputy  collector  and  inspector  of  the  district. 
There  is  a  lighthouse  at  the  west  side  of  the  mouth  of  the  river,  in 
Charlotte.  Another  lighthouse,  to  be  built  of  the  best  materials,  will 
be  erected  immediately  at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  west  pier  of  the 
artificial  harbour  which  is  now  being  constructed  by  the  United  States 
government  for  benefiting  the  navigation,  and  which  is  particularly  de- 
scribed in  the  notice  of  the  "  Harbour  of  Rochester." 

Since  the  appointment  of  General  Gould  as  collector  of  the  Roches- 
ter or  Genesee  District,  the  office  of  Superintendent  of  the  Lighthouses 
on  Lake  Ontario  has  been  connected  with  this  collectorship. 

The  misapprehensions  or  misrepresentations  prevalent  for  a  while 
respecting  the  Rochester  or  Genesee  District  induced  the  editors  of  the 
daily  newspapers  of  both  political  parties  to  insert  the  following  com- 
munication, in  justice  to  the  business  and  supervision  of  the  district. 
The  feeling  which  caused  the  publication  of  the  article  in  the  Roches- 
ter Daily  Democrat  and  Rochester  Daily  Advertiser  prompts  its  inser- 
tion here,  as  a  matter  not  irrelevant  either  to  the  business  of  the  dis- 
trict or  the  history  of  the  city. 

(From  the  Rochester  Daily  Democrat.) 

ROCHESTER  OR  GENESEE  DISTRICT. 

It  will  not  readily  be  forgotten  that  frequent  reference  was  made 
three  years  ago  to  the  circumstance  that  the  revenue  collected  in  this 
district  was  then  insufficient  to  pay  the  officers.  The  fact  was  seem- 
ingly overlooked,  that  in  few  districts  of  the  Union,  particularly  on  the 
interior  waters,  is  there  much  revenue  collected  ;  the  imports  of  dutia- 
ble goods  being  made  in  a  few  important  districts,  like  New- York, 
Philadelphia,  Boston,  Baltimore,  Charleston,  New-Orleans,  &c.  It 
seemed  to  be  forgotten  that,  if  the  frontiers,  in  the  interior  as  well  as 
on  the  seaboard,  were  left  without  officers  to  prevent  contraband  trade 
in  districts  where  sufficient  duties  were  not  usually  accruing  to  pay 


HARBOUR   OF   ROCHESTER.  335 

hose  officers,  the  enormous  revenue  collected  annually  in  New- York, 
&c.,  would  speedily  be  reduced  by  the  facility  of  smuggling  goods,  es- 
pecially on  our  inland  frontiers. 

The  Genesee  or  Rochester  District  extends  on  Lake  Ontario  from 
Oak-Orchard  Creek  to  Sodus  Bay,  about  70  miles  ;  and  in  few  whole 
districts  in  the  interior  has  as  much  revenue  been  collected  as  at  the 
single  port  of  Rochester.  Yet,  although  the  revenue  of  the  district  is 
chiefly  collected  at  the  port  of  Rochester,  revenue  officers  must  be 
stationed  at  Pulteneyville  and  other  points,  though  the  duties  collected 
there  be  insufficient  to  pay  their  wages,  as  was  the  case  under  a  former 
administration.  The  salaries  of  all  the  officers  of  the  district,  including 
the  collector,  have  usually  amounted  to  from  $3500  to  $4000.  This 
amount  exceeded  the  revenue  collected  in  the  district  till  within  the 
last  two  years  ;  and  if  it  were  correct  formerly,  as  was  seemingly  al- 
leged, that  "  the  pay  of  the  officers  should  be  proportioned  to  the  small 
revenue  then  collected,"  the  rule  would  work  rather  differently  just 
now,  as  the  duties  collected  in  1835-36  were,  in  the  former  year,  about 
S26,000,  and  in  the  latter  year  about  sixty  thousand  dollars.  These 
sums  were  chiefly  collected  at  the  City  of  Rochester.  The  "  spoils" 
would  indeed  be  worth  contending  for  were  there  now  "  four  dollars 
paid  for  collecting  every  one  dollar,"  to  use  the  phraseology  employed 
formerly  on  the  subject.  As  it  is,  the  simple  per  centage  for  collecting 
this  $60,000  would,  by  the  former  law,  amount  to  almost  double  the 
sum  at  which  the  collector's  salary  has  for  some  years  been  fixed — while 
the  other  emoluments  formerly  allowed  would  now  swell  the  income  of 
the  collector  alone  to  about  $4000  per  annum  ;  a  sum  about  four  times 
larger  than  he  now  actually  receives,  and  about  equal  to  the  whole 
amount  now  and  heretofore  paid  yearly  to  all  the  officers  of  the  dis- 
trict, including  himself. 

These  statements  are  made,  not  to  revive  old  feuds  or  partisan  ani- 
mosities, but  in  justice  to  the  district  and  port  of  Genesee  or  Roches- 
ter, which  were  formerly  needlessly  depreciated,  as  well  as  to  the  offi- 
cers of  the  district. 

Harbour  of  Rochester. 

An  extract  from  the  last  report  of  the  officer  superintending  the  con- 
struction of  the  artificial  harbour  at  the  junction  of  Lake  Ontario  and 
the  Genesee  River  will  explain  the  nature  of  the  government  works 
for  accomplishing  an  object  of  such  high  importance  to  the  port  of  Ro- 
chester and  the  navigation  of  Lake  Ontario.  In  his  communication  of 
the  24th  October,  1837,  addressed  to  Gen.  Gratiot,  the  chief  engineer 
at  Washington,  Lieut.  William  Smith,  of  the  corps  of  United  States 
Engineers,  gives  these  interesting  particulars  of  the  improvement  in 
progress  under  his  superintendence  in  the  harbour  of  Rochester  : — 

"  The  west  pier  extends  two  thousand  six  hundred  and  seventy  feet 
into  the  lake,  and  the  east  pier  two  thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty- 
four.  They  are  both  twenty  feet  wide,  with  the  exception  of  a  small 
part  of  each,  which  is  but  sixteen.  They  consist  of  cribwork,  each 
crib  being  sixteen  or  twenty  feet  wide  and  thirty  feet  long.  The  cribs 
are  formed  of  side-pieces,  centre-pieces,  ties,  and  flooring ;  to  every 
two  side  and  one  centre  stick  there  are  four  ties :  the  ties,  which  run 
across  the  piers  instead  of  being  carried  up  the  one  directly  above  ths 


336        SKETCHES  OF  ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

Other,  break  alternately  backward  and  forward,  to  secure  greater 
strength  in  the  side  timbers,  and  to  afford  places  upon  which  a  portion 
of  the  stone  with  which  the  cribs  are  tilled  may  lodge. 

"  Piles  have  been  driven  on  the  outside  of  the  cribs,  but  they  appear 
to  have  been  productive  of  no  very  good  effect ;  stones  thrown  in  by 
their  side  preventing  the  irregular  settling  of  them  much  belter. 

"  The  average  height  of  the  piers  above  the  surface  of  the  water  is 
nearly  three  feet.  The  width  of  the  harbour  at  its  mouth  is  four  hun- 
dred and  forty-six  feet ;  and  as  the  piers  are  not  exactly  parallel,  it  be- 
comes broader  as  you  enter. 

"  To  obtain  a  correct  delineation  of  the  bottom  of  the  harbour,  sec- 
tions were  made  across  it  sixty-six  feet  apart,  and  soundings  taken  at 
the  end  of  every  ten  feet.  Horizontal  planes  were  passed  at  one  foot 
apart,  and  their  intersections  with  the  bottom  ascertained.  The  ac- 
companying drawing  will  give  a  tolerably  accurate  idea  of  the  present 
state  of  the  harbour.  From  it  it  will  be  seen  that  the  greatest  depth  in 
the  channel  between  the  piers  is  twenty-three  feet,  and  the  least  twelve 
feet  four  inches  ;  and  that,  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbour,  there  is  sev- 
enteen feet  water.  Within  the  piers,  and  to  a  distance  of  about  three 
miles,  the  average  depth  of  the  river  is  twenty-eight  feet. 

"  As  both  piers  ran  across  what  was  once  an  extensive  shoal,  it  was 
to  be  feared  that  a  deposition  of  sand  would  take  place  immediately 
beyond  the  mouth  of  the  harbour  ;  but,  on  examination,  it  is  found  that 
there  is  no  appearance  whatever  of  the  formation  of  any  shoal  there. 
From  the  centre  of  the  channel  between  the  piers,  where  the  water  is 
seventeen  feet  deep,  out  to  twenty-two  feet  water,  the  descent  is  as 
gradual  and  as  regular  as  the  natural  shore  of  the  lake.  The  least 
depth  of  water  beyond  the  end  of  the  piers  is  sixteen  feet. 

"  The  piers  have  been  finished  three  years.  The  large  shoal  over 
which  they  ran  has  been  entirely  removed  ;  and  as  there  is  now  no  evi- 
dence of  the  formation  of  any  bar  beyond  them,  it  is  reduced  to  an  al- 
most absolute  certainty  that  any  farther  prolongation  of  the  works  into 
the  lake  will  never  become  necessary. 

"  From  the  position  of  the  piers  and  the  width  of  the  harbour  at  its 
mouth,  whether  the  wind  be  from  the  northeast,  north,  or  northwest,  it 
can  be  entered  with  equal  facility.  This  is  undoubtedly  a  very  great 
advantage,  and  one  of  which  the  navigators  of  the  lake  will  avail  them- 
selves ;  for  vessels,  v^hen  caught  in  a  severe  gale,  if  it  be  possible  to 
make  this  harbour,  run  to  it  for  safety. 

"  For  the  purpose  of  contrasting  the  present  state  of  the  harbour  with 
the  condition  of  the  mouth  of  the  river  previous  to  its  improvement, 
the  old  line  of  eight  feet  water  has  been  laid  down  on  the  accom- 
panying drawing.  The  channel  was  then  crooked,  and  the  depth  of 
water  on  the  bar  between  eight  and  nine  feet.  Besides  the  want  of 
sufficient  water  to  allow  the  largest-sized  vessels  to  enter,  it  was  only 
when  the  wind  was  in  a  particular  direction  that  vessels  of  any  size 
could  enter  at  all.  There  is  now  a  channel  four  hundred  and  fifty-six 
feet  and  over  wide,  perfectly  straight,  with  a  sufficient  depth  of  water 
for  any  vessel  that  navigates  the  lakes. 

"  The  whole  work  being  an  extent  of  pier  something  over  a  mile, 
has,  from  its  commencement  to  the  30th  September  last,  cost  $118,000. 
By  means  of  this  expenditure,  a  very  superior  harbour  has  been  obtain- 
ed at  the  mouth  of  the  Genesee  River  ;  and  though  the  attempt  to  form 


,v 


HARBOUR   OF   ROCHESTER.  *337 

an  artificial  one  was  at  first  but  an  experiment,  it  is  an  experiment 
which  has  been  attended  with  perfect  success. 

"  It  now  becomes  a  matter  of  great  importance  to  secure  perma- 
nently the  advantages  that  have  been  obtained. 

"  When  the  works  were  examined  by  Col.  Totten,  of  the  engineer 
corps,  he  recommended,  as  a  means  of  rendering  them  permanent,  the 
conversic;;  of  the  woodwork  above  low  water  mark  into  masonry.  His 
plan  was  to  build  on  the  sides  of  the  piers  strong  stone  walls,  using 
hydraulic  mortar  ;  to  fill  the  intervening  space  with  rubble  stone,  and 
to  cover  the  top  with  flagging  stones." 

[Here  follows  a  plan  of  masonry  for  giving  the  greatest  practicable 
degree  of  solidity  and  strength  to  the  piers.]  "  The  most  convenient 
height  for  the  piers  above  the  surface  of  the  water  is  six  feet  ;  and  as 
the  waters  of  Lake  Ontario  are  subject  to  a  change  of  level  of  about 
two  feet,  they  will  be  built  seven  feet  above  the  lowest  low  water 
mark. 

"  To  render  it  practicable  to  reach  the  end  of  the  western  pier  [on 
which  the  new  lighthouse  is  to  be  built  immediately]  even  in  the  most 
boisterous  weather,  a  parapet  wall  three  feet  high  and  three  feet  thick 
will  be  added.  This  is  indispensably  necessary,  for  the  light  at  the  end 
of  this  pier  is  of  course  much  more  needed  in  stormy  weather  than  in 
fair.  The  space  between  the  walls  will  be  filled  with  rubble  stone,  and 
the  top  paved  with  heavy  flagging  stones." 

To  effect  the  completion  of  the  harbour  on  the  plan  submitted  by 
Lieut.  Smith,  the  superintendent,  that  officer  estimates  the  expense 
yet  to  be  incurred  at  Si 60,000  ;  of  which  there  would  be  required  for 
1838,  $50,000  ;   1839,  $60,000  ;    1840,  $50,000. 

In  viewing  the  great  advantages  already  attained,  and  which  should 
be  speedily  and  permanently  secured  to  the  navigation  of  Lake  Ontario, 
it  cannot  be  doubted  that  Congress  will  promptly  vote  the  requisite 
means.  The  growing  trade  of  the  lake  generally,  as  well  as  the  par- 
ticular interests  of  the  City  of  Rochester,  imperatively  require  the  exer- 
cise of  enlightened  liberality  in  this  respect. 

The  sum  of  $25,000  has  been  appropriated  by  Congress  for  the 
work  to  be  done  in  1838  on  the  Rochester  harbour. 

Ezra  M.  Parsons  and  Silas  Ball  have  been  the  contractors  for  the 
work  since  the  improvement  of  the  harbour  was  commenced.  The 
recent  appointment  of  a  gentleman  like  Lieut.  Smith  to  superintend 
the  improvement  has  been  very  satisfactory  to  those  of  our  citizens 
■who  have  taken  most  interest  in  the  important  enterprise. 
29 


^lj- A.^^' °^-<^  "^ 


C%^^  >y^  ^^^^, 


338*  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,  ETC. 


:    GREAT  PUBLIC  WORKS  IN  WHICH  ROCHESTER  IS 
INTERESTED. 

1.  Erie  Canal  Enlargrment,  with  the  rebuilding  of  the  Great  Aque- 
duct across  Genesee  River  in  Rochester  ; 

2.  The  Genesee  Valley  Canal,  from  Rochester  to  the  Allegany 
River  at  Olean  ; 

3.  The  Rochester  and  Auburn  Railroad,  I  T     U    ' 

4.  The  Tonnewania  (or  Rochester  and  Batavia)  Railroad,  J  ^'""^  '" 
the  chain  between  the  lakes  and  the  Atlantic. 

5.  The  improvement  of  the  Port  of  Rochester  by  the  erection  of  ex- 
tensive piers,  &c.,  at  the  junction  of  the  river  and  lake — by  the  United 
States  Government. 

Besides  these,  there  are  some  minor  works,  such  as  the  Railroad  con- 
necting the  Erie  Canal  and  the  Ontario  Steamboat-Landing  within  the 
city  limits,  &c. 

I.  1.  Erie  Canal  Enlargement. 

The  important  project  of  expediting  the  enlargement  of  the  Erie  Ca- 
nal has  just  received  the  approbation  of  the  Legislature.  Four  millions 
of  dollars  are  to  be  applied  annually  till  the  completion  of  the  work, 
which  object  will  probably  be  accomplished  in  about  four  years.  The 
original  appropriation  was  but  the  annual  nett  revenue  of  the  canals — a 
sum  which  would  not  sufTice  for  the  enlargement  in  twelve  or  fifteen 
years.  Thus  happily  has  triumphed  the  policy  proposed  by  the  West- 
ern Convention  that  met  at  Rochester  in  January,  18:37,  for  urging  the 
speedy  enlargement  of  the  great  water-way — the  proceedings  of  which 
convention  are  noticed  in  the  article  on  the  "  Progress  of  Improve- 
ment."' 

Now  that  adequate  means  are  provided  for  expeditious  operations — 
now  that  the  people  of  the  state  are  becoming  aroused  to  the  impor- 
tance of  the  work — it  may  not  be  thought  premature  to  suggest  to  the 
canal  commissioners  the  propriety  of  adopting  the  important  plan  of 
walling  the  canal  throughout  its  whole  length.  Some  may  consider  the 
project  too  great  for  accomplishment  now  in  connexion  with  the  other 
expen,sive  work  ;  but  we  doubt  not  that  it  will  very  shortly  be  generally 
considered  advantageous  to  the  state  in  various  ways  that  the  walling 
should  be  made  simultaneously  with  the  enlargement.  The  increased 
volume  of  water  in  the  enlarged  canal  will  render  walling  necessary,  to 
prevent  the  calamities  which  would  result  from  the  breaches  to  which 
an  enlargement  without  walls  would  considerably  subject  the  trade  and 
other  interests  of  the  state;  while  a- solid  safeguard  of  masonry  on 
both  sides  would  enable  the  canal  to  be  rendered  navigable  earlier  every 
spring,  by  rendering  unnecessaiy  the. delays  now  requisite  to  repair 
earthen  banks,  &c.  With  such  walls  to'  protect,  -the^'banks  against 
washings  away  by  the  motion  of  the  water,  increased  speed  might  be 
obtained  icven  with  horse-power  on  the  enlarged  body  of  water;. -and  it 
is  not  at  all  improbable  that  sm^U  steamboats  wguld  then  be,used  to 
considerable  extent — quickening  much  the  transit  of  goods  and  pas- 
sengers. 

The  wall  would  require  to  be  about  ten  feet  high  on  each  side,  from 
the  foundation  below  the  bottom-level  rising  about  two  feet  above  the 


ENLARGEMENT  OF  THE  ERIE  CANAL.    *339 

surface-level  of  the  water.  The  height  of  the  two  walls  added  together 
for  the  whole  length  of  the  line  would  be  equivalent  to  about  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  of  solid  masonry  twenty  feet  high  ! 

With  such  improvements,  the  Erie  Canal  would  be  indeed  worthy  of 
its  great  destiny  in  connecting  the  Atlantic  Ocean  with  our  inland  seas  ; 
an  object  comparable  in  magnificence  with  the  wall  of  China  and  the 
Pyramids  of  Egypt. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  project  will  be  pressed  steadily  on  the  at- 
tention of  the  canal  commissioners. 

Some  particulars  connected  with  the  enlargement  of  the  canal  are 
given  in  the  article  about  the  "  Progress  of  Improvement."  The  whole 
policy  of  the  work  is  of  vast  interest  to  Rochester,  connected  as  this 
city  is  with  the  transportation  business,  dec. 

The  engineers  stationed  at  Rochester  for  the  fourth  division  of  this 
work  are  Nathan  S.  Roberts  and  M.  M.  Hall.  We  are  indebted  to 
Judge  Roberts,  who  was  creditably  concerned  in  the  original  construc- 
tion of  the  Erie  Canal,  for  the  following  particulars  of  the  principal  fea- 
ture in  the  enlargement  of  that  canal  on  the  Rochester  section.  As 
this  will  probably  be  the  most  extensive  aqueduct  in  the  world,  the  par- 
ticulars will  doubtless  prove  interesting  to  many  readers  : 

The  new  aqueduct  at  Rochester,  now  in  progress,  to  be  constructed 
alongside  of  the  old  edifice  over  the  Genesee  River,  being  the  most 
westerly  portion  for  the  enlargement  of  the  Erie  Canal  at  present  under 
contract,  contains  the  following  dimensions  and  general  outlines. 

The  trunk  of  the  aqueduct,  exclusive  of  the  wings  and  weigh-lock,  is 
444  feet  long,  and  including  the  wings  at  the  east  end  and  the  weigh- 
lock  at  the  west  end  of  the  trunk,  is  848  feet  long.  The  parapet  walls 
forming  the  sides  of  the  trunk  are  10  feet  thick  at  coping  and  11  feet 
10  1-2  inches  thick  at  the  water-table,  and  are  covered  with  a  coping 
one  foot  thick  and  11  feet  wide,  which  is  to  support  the  railings.  The 
width  of  the  water-way  of  the  trunk  at  the  top-water  line  is  45  feet,  and  at 
its  bottom,  which  is  to  be  formed  of  cut  stone,  is  42  feet  8  inches.  The 
aqueduct  is  to  be  supported  on  seven  arches — segments  of  a  circle  ;  the 
chord  of  each  is  52  feet,  and  the  versed  sine  is  10  feet  ;  the  interior 
arch  line  is  56  93-100  feet,  subtending  84°  43'  44"  of  a  circle.  The 
arch  stones  forming  the  thickness  of  the  arch  are  three  feet  long  at  the 
piers  and  abutments,  and  two  feet  six  inches  at  the  crown.  The 
courses  of  the  arch  stone  vary  in  thickness  from  17  inches  at  the  spring 
to  11  inches  at  the  crown,  with  a  keystone  of  16  inches. 

The  weight  and  thrust  of  the  arches  is  supported  by  two  abutments 
and  six  piers,  formed  of  large  blocks  of  compact  gray  limestone,  cut  to 
joints  which  when  laid  shall  not  exceed  1-8  of  an  inch  thick,  and 
based  on  the  solid  rock  forming  the  bed  of  the  Genesee  River.  The 
width  of  the  abutments  and  piers  is  ten  feet  at  their  base,  and  they  hold 
this  width  five  feet  to  the  spring  of  the  interior  arch  line.  The  skein- 
backs  are  then  placed,  meeting  in  the  centre  of  each  pier,  and  in  their 
rise  of  two  feet  three  inches  reducing  the  piers  on  their  top  to  six  feet 
wide  :  each  pier  then  receives  a  binding  course  across  of  two  feet  rise 
and  six  feet  long,  forming  the  entire  width  of  the  top  of  each  pier.  This 
last  course,  together  with  the  skembacks,  give  a  firm  support  to  the 
thrust  of  the  interior  and  exterior  arch  lines  at  the  foot  of  each  adjoin- 
ing arch. 

'From  the  base  of  the  piers  to  the  top  of  the  water-table  is  18  feet  six 


340*  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

inches,  and  from  the  li'p  of  the  water-table  to  the  top  of  the  coping  is 
eight  feet  six  inches,  making  tlie  whole  height  from  the  base  of  the  piers 
to  the  top  of  the  coping  27  feet.  The  width  of  the  aqueduct,  or  length 
of  each  pier  on  its  foundition,  is  75  feet  6  inches  ;  and  deduct  from  this 
the  steps  at  each  end  of  the  piers,  and  the  vertical  batter  of  one  to 
twelve  of  its  rise,  and  it  gives  the  width  across  the  top  of  the  trunk, 
over  the  coping,  of  a  pilaster  cq  lal  to  69  feet  2  inches. 

The  stone  of  which  the  aijueduct  in  all  its  parts  is  to  be  constructed 
is  of  tlu"  best  and  most  durable  kind,  being  compact  gray  limestone. 
All  the  stone  composing  the  abutments,  piers,  arches,  water-table,  lining 
of  the  trtmk,  and  coping,  and  also  the  exterior  of  the  spandrells,  pilas- 
ters, parapet  walls  of  the  trunk  and  of  tiie  wings,  is  to  be  obtained  at 
Onondaga  or  Lockport,  and  the  interior  of  the  spandiells  and  parapets 
is  to  be  composed  of  stone  from  the  bed  of  the  Genesee  River.  All  the 
3tone  first  mentioned  is  to  be  cut  to  exact  given  dimensions  or  to  pat- 
terns, and  with  such  care  and  exactness  that,  when  laid,  no  cut  stone 
joint  is  to  be  more  than  1-8  of  an  inch  thick,  including  the  necessary 
mortar  ;  and  the  stone  composing  the  interior,  as  above  stated,  is  to  be 
well  hammer-dressed  to  parallel  beds,  and  so  laid  as  to  have  not  more 
than  1-2  an  inch  joint  ;  the  whole  to  be  laid  in  the  best  of  cement  mor- 
tot  and  grout,  and  to  be  ijnpervious  to  water. 

The  stones  composing  all  parts  of  this  massive  work  are  proportion- 
ably  large,  to  ensure  strength,  solidity,  and  permanency  to  the  struc- 
ture, and  likewise  to  give  a  bold  and  appropriate  appearance. 

The  following  are  the  principal  items  of  labour  required  in  construct- 
ing this  great  work,  viz. — 

*          ^  Cubic  yard*. 
Rock  to  be  blasted  and  removed  out  of  the  bed  of  the  Genesee 
River  in  preparing  the  foundation  for  the  abutments  and  piers, 
and  to  give  a  free  passage  for  the  floods  of  the  river  under 
the  new  arches,  estimated  at         ....          •  30,000 
Masonry  in  the  foundation  of  the  cast  and  west  wings,  and  of  the 
weigh-lock  up  to  water-table,  including  the  new  arches  over 
the  west  and  east  millraces             .....  9000 
Masonry  in  the  new  weigh-lock  and  the  foundation  of  the  offices 
on  its  north  wall  (which  is  not  yet  under  contract)  is  esti- 
mated at       .                                               .         .         .         .  2000 
Masonry  in  the  aqueduct  and  wings,  as  estimated  when  com- 
pleted             15,380 

Progress  of  the  Wm-Jc. — Of  the  above  work  the  amount  done  of  each 
kind  up  to  this  time  (January,  1838)  is  as  follows,  viz. — 

Cubic  yards. 
Rock  taken  out  of  the  bed  of  the  Genesee  River          .         .         20,000 
Masonry  laid  for  the  foundation  of  the  weigh-lock,  the  west  mill- 
race  arch,  the  west  and  east  wings,  and  all  the  centring  and 
cut  stone  for  the  east  millrace  arches,  are  prepared  and  deliv- 
ered, amounting  to 6000 

Cut  stone  for  different  parts  of  the    aqueduct,  prepared  and 

mostly  delivered,  amounting  to       .         .         .         .         -  2500 

Materials  for  the  centring  for  the  aqueduct  are  delivered  and  mostly 
framed  to  the  forni  required  to  support  the  arches. 

Force  Employed. — Captain  Buell  has  employed  near  100  men  through 
the  summer  in  blasting  rock  in  the  bed  of  the  river  and  on  other  parts  of 


GENESEE  VALLEY  CANAL.  *341 

the  foundation  of  the  aqueduct ;  and  Messrs.  Kasson  and  Brown,  con- 
tractors for  the  aqueduct,  have  a  force  of  near  200  men  employed  at 
Onondaga  and  other  places  in  preparing  and  cutting  stone  for  the  aque- 
duct. Their  progress  for  some  months  past  has  been  very  favourable, 
and  it  is  e.xpected  will  so  continue  until  the  aqueduct  is  completed,  which 
is  to  be  in  October,  1839. 

Improved  Weigh-Lock  connected  with  Aqueduct.— In  connexion  with 
the  west  wing  of  the  aqueduct  is  the  weigh-lock  and  the  canal  offices. 
This  weigh-lock  is  on  an  improved  plan  :  its  dimensions  are  the  same 
as  other  ""improved  locks.  In  its  location,  its  chamber  ranges  nearly- 
parallel  to  the  line  of  navigation  through  the  aqueduct,  with  double 
gates  at  each  end.  Over  the  weigh-lock  a  stone  building  is  to  be 
erected,  80  feet  in  length  by  48  feet  in  width,  and  two  stories  or  20  feet 
in  height.  Besides  the  weighing  apparatus  and  the  weighmaster's  office, 
the  building  is  to  contain  the  offices  of  the  inspector,  the  superintendent, 
and  the  collector  of  tolls.  So  that  a  boat  from  the  east  or  from  the 
west  enters  the  weigh-lock,  is  weighed,  inspected,  and  pays  her  toll, 
and,  without  further  hinderance,  passes  out  at  the  opposite  gates  of  the 
lock  and  pursues  her  course  ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  two  boats  from  op- 
posite directions,  and  not  requiring  to  be  weighed,  can  pass  each  other 
outside  of  the  weigh-lock,  as  the  passage  is  so  spacious  that  two  boats 
may  pass  each  other  without  interference  or  delay  in  any  part  of  the 
aqueduct. 

Agents  and  others  engaged  in  the  forwarding  business  will  experi- 
ence a  great  convenience  and  saving  of  time  and  expense  in  having  all 
these  offices  thus  located,  as  being  convenient  for  boats  passing  east  or 
west,  and  in  a  very  central  position  for  the  business  of  the  City  of 
Rochester. 

2.    The  Genesee  Valley  Canal,  from  Rochester  to  the  Allegany 
River  at  Olean. 

The  engineers  stationed  at  Rochester,  in  connexion  with  the  con- 
struction of  the  Genesee  Valley  Canal,  are  Frederic  C.  Mills,  Henry- 
Stanley  Dexter,  J.  B.  Stilison,  Daniel  Marsh,  S.  V.  R.  Paterson, 
George  D.  Stilison,  Burton  W.  Clark,  and  Daniel  M'Henry. 

As  it  is  our  wish  to  present  the  reader  with  statements  as  nearly 
official  as  practicable  respecting  the  actual  condition  of  all  the  public 
improvements  connected  with  Rochester,  we  called  for  information 
at  the  Genesee  Valley  Canal  Office  in  the  city.  The  chief  en- 
gineer, Mr.  Mills,  and  the  principal  resident  engineer,  Mr.  Dexter,  were 
temporarily  absent  from  Rochester  on  official  duties  ;  but  we  were  po- 
litely furnished  by  J.  B.  Stilison,  one  of  the  assistant  engineers,  with 
the  foUowing  memoranda,  which  embrace  some  matters  not  included  in 
the  account  of  this  canal  inserted  in  our  account  of  the  progress  of  im- 
provement in  the  canal  system  : 

"  Governor  Clinton  recommended  the  construction  of  this  canal  as 
early  as  1824.  A  survey  was  made  under  the  direction  of  Judge  Ged- 
des  in  1828. 

"  An  act  passed  in  18-34  authorizing  a  resurvey.  The  survey  was 
accordingly  made  during  the  season  under  the  direction  of  F.  C.  Mills. 
It  was  then  estimated  to  cost  ©1,890,614  12.  A  law  was  passed  by 
the  Legislature  in  May,  1836,  '  to  provide  for  its  construction.'  No 
part  of  the  canal,  however,  was  put  under  contract  until  June,  1837, 
29* 


342*  SKETCHES  of  Rochester,  etc. 

when  about  two  miles  was  let.  In  November  following  about  28  miles 
more  was  put  under  contract. 

"  The  canal  is  located  on  the  west  side  of  the  Genesee  River  to  the 
village  of  Mount  Morris,  where  it  is  to  cross  to  the  east  side  by  an 
aqueduct.  At  this  j)lace  a  large  amount  of  lockage  occurs.  The  ca- 
nal ascends  tlio  hill  by  a  succession  of  consecutive  locks — in  a  dis- 
tance of  about  4  miles  rising  450  feet.  After  passing  this  elevation, 
the  canal  pursues  a  nearly  direct  course  to  the  Portage  Hills — along  the 
tiorthern  or  western  face  of  which  it  is  to  be  constructed — passing  in  its 
course  along  the  very  brink  of  the  Nunda  Falls.  The  perpendicular 
banks  of  the  river  at  some  points  between  the  second  and  third  falls  at 
Nunda  are  between  300  and  400  feet  above  its  level.  These  banks 
Are  generally  of  alluminous  shale  or  graywacke,  with  occasional  strata 
of  sand  rock  sufficiently  hard  for  building  purposes. 

"  This  is  the  most  pictures<jue  and  also  the  most  expensive  portion 
of  the  canal.  At  Portage,  beside  Nunda  Falls,  the  canal  recrosses  the 
river  by  an  aqueduct,  and  pursues  the  valley  until  it  enters  tiie  valley 
of  Black  Creek,  which  it  follows  to  the  summit.  Descending  from  the 
summit,  the  canal  follows  the  valley  of  Oil  Creek  lo  Hinsdale,  where 
it  receives  a  feeder  from  the  Ischua.  From  Hinsdale  the  canal  pur- 
sues the  valley  of  Olean  Creek  to  the  Allegany  River,  where  it  is  to 
terminate. 

"  'i  i.e  deficiency  of  water  on  the  summit  level  is  to  be  supplied  by 
artificial  reservoirs.  This  level  is  about  12  miles  long  ;  is  79  feet 
above  the  Allegany  at  Olean  point,  10.57  feet  above  the  Erie  Canal  at 
Rochester,  and  1484  feet  above  low  tide  at  Albany. 

"  A  side  cut  is  to  be  constructed  along  the  Canaseraga  Valley  from 
Mount  Morris  to  Dansville,  a  distance  of  15  miles.  The  whole  amount 
of  lockage  on  the  main  canal  from  Rochester  to  Olean  is  1057  feet,  and 
on  the  side  cut  about  100  feet.  The  distance  from  Rochester  to  Mount 
Morris  by  canal  is  37  miles  ;  from  Rochester  to  Dansville,  52  miles  ; 
and  from  Rochester  to  Olean,  106  miles." 

Opinions  respecting  the  value  of  the  Genesee  Canal. 

The  magnitude  of  the  subject  will  excuse  a  further  reference  to  the 
Genesee  (or  Rochester  and  Olean)  Canal.  The  apathy  which  has  so 
long  prevailed  on  this  matter  having  now  happily  been  dissipated  by 
the  spread  of  knowledge  respecting  it,  and  the  work  fully  sanctioned  by 
the  legislative  authority,  the  writer  of  these  notrs,  actuated  by  the 
same  views  that  prompted  him  twelve  years  ago,  when  calling  attention 
to  the  subject  through  the  daily  paper  of  which  he  was  editor  (estab- 
lished in  Rochester  in  1826),  cannot  refrain  from  quoting  with  hearty 
satisfaction  the  sanguine  calculations  now  made  by  some  of  the  most 
intelligent  men  of  the  state  respecting  the  value  of  the  Genesee  Canal, 
in  every  point  of  view  which  could  render  it  desirable  as  a  work  of  im- 
mense value,  not  merely  to  this  state  or  to  the  local  interests  of  the  sec- 
tion through  which  it  runs,  but  to  a  large  portion  of  the  American  con- 
federacy. 

In  the  "  Appeal  to  the  People  of  the  State  of  New-York  and  to  their 
Representatives  in  the  Legislature,"  made  by  a  committee  of  citizens  in 
New- York  in  1833  (Christian  Bergh  chairman,  and  Edwin  Williams 
secretary),  in  favour  of  a  "  Canal  from  Rochester  on  the  Erie  Canal  to 
Olean  on  the  Allegany  River,"  it  is  stated  that,  afier  a  full  discussion, 


GENESEE   VALLEY   CANAL.  *343 

it  was  unanimously  resolved,  "  That,  in  the  opinion  of  the  meeting,  from 
information  obtained  from  authentic  sources,  the  proposed  canal  will 
have  an  important  bearing  on  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  state, 
particularly  of  the  City  of  New- York  ;  inasmuch  as  it  will  open  a  new 
and  great  thorougfare  through  the  rich  valleys  of  the  Genesee  and  Ohio 
to  the  Mississippi."  In  the  same  appeal  the  proposed  work  is  styled 
"  a  new  branch  of  the  Erie  Canal,  which  can  scarcely  be  sufficiently  de- 
scribed by  a  name  so  limited  as  the  Genesee  and  Allegany  Canal" — 
while  it  is  asserted  by  these  New-Yorkers  that  "  this  canal,  as  a  pub- 
lic highway,  is  preferable  at  the  present  time  to  every  other  mode  of 
connecting  the  great  western  rivers  with  the  waters  of  New- York  Har- 
bour." 

In  reply  to  a  request  from  the  New- York  committee  that  he  would 
"  communicate  any  statistical  facts  having  a  bearing  on  the  proposed 
Genesee  and  Erie  Canal,"  Edwin  Williams,  the  well-known  author  of 
the  Annual  Register  and  Universal  Gazetteer,  said  in  1833 — 

"  This  canal  appears  to  me  to  be  the  most  important  work  of  internal  improvement 
that  has  been  proposej  in  this  state  .since  the  construction  of  the  Erie  and  Chaniplain 
Canals.  It  is  proposed  to  connect  the  Erie  Canal  at  Rochester  with  the  Allegany 
River  at  Olean  by  a  canal  about  90  miles  in  length,  following  the  valley  of  the  Gen  ■ 
esee  River.  I  understand  this  was  a  favourite  project  of  the  iate  Governor  Clinton, 
who  considered  the  connexion  of  the  waters  ofihe  Allegany  River  with  those  of  the 
Hudson  second  in  importance  only  to  the  connexion  between  the  latter  and  the  great 
lakes.  Indeed,  it  may  be  doubted  whether  the  union  of  the  waters  of  New-York 
with  the  Ohio  Valley  by  this  route  is  not  equal  in  importance  to  tlie  extension  of  the 
Kne  Cannl  to  Lake  Erie.  It  has  been  a  matter  of  surprise  to  many  intelligent  per- 
sons that  the  state  has  so  long  delayed  the  construction  of  a  work  promising  such 
incalculable  benefits  as  the  proposed  canal.  When  completed,  it  is  believed  that 
more  property  uullpass  upon  it,  to  and  from  Rochester,  than  on  the  Erie  Canal  west 
of  that  place. 

"  The  proposed  canal  will  pass  through  part  of  the  counties  of  Monroe,  Livingston, 
Allegany,  and  Cattaraugus,  intersecting  one  of  the  most  fertile  sections  of  the  state, 
and  a  considerable  portion  of  it  abounding  in  valuable  timber,  of  the  utmost  impor- 
tance to  the  towns  and  villages  on  the  Erie  Canal,  on  the  Hudson  River,  and  to  New- 
York  city  in  particular,  for  the  purposes  of  building.  For  this  object  alone,  and  from 
justice  to  the  people  ofa  sequestered  portion  of  the  state,  now  deprived  of  a  good  mar- 
ket for  their  lumber  and  produce,  this  work  ought  to  be  constructed  from  motives  of 
policj',  interest,  and  justice. 

"t  m"'  ^'"^"  "*^  '^''®  '"""  '^'^^  "^^  '*'^®'  extent  of  country  embraced  in  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  Valleys,  our  sense  of  the  immense  consequence  of  the  proposed  canal 
to  this  state  and  the  internal  commerce  of  the  City  of  New-York  is  greatly  enhanced, 
i  he  Allegany  River  is  navigable  for  steamboats  a  great  part  of  the  year— may  at 
email  expense,  be  much  improved— and  unites  with  the  Monongahela  to  form  the 
(•  on  nn  J^'"*^"""?*!)  200  miles  below  the  termination  of  the  proposed  canal.  Upward 
of  20,000  miles  of  navigable  rivers,  it  is  estimated,  pour  their  waters  into  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  Rivers,  and  of  the  fertile  regions  bordering  on  Ihese  waters,  it  is  believed 
at  least  two  thirds  would  find  the  Genesee  and  Allegany  Canal  the  most  convenient 
channel  to  a  market  on  the  Atlantic.  A  large  portion  of  the  states  of  Ohio,  Pennsyl- 
vania Virginia,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Missouri,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee,  would  make 
use  of  this  communication.  They  would  by  this  means  avoid  the  uncertain  market 
ot  INew-Orleans,  the  circuitous  route  by  the  Ohio  Canal  and  Lake  Erie,  and  a  pas- 
sage by  railroads  over  the  Allegany  Mountains.  It  is  evident  that  the  route  we  pro- 
pose to  establish  by  this  canal  must  be  pre/erred  for  cheapness,  safety,  and  expe- 
dition combined,  to  any  other  that  can  be  named,  for  the  transportation  of  produce 
and  merchandise  to  and  from  the  Ohio  Valley  and  the  Atlantic  ports 

"  The  benefits  which  the  City  of  New- York  would  derive  from  this  work  are  evi- 
dent to  every  person  of  observation.  It  would  greatly  extend  our  trade  with  the  in- 
terior, and  open  new  channels  for  enterprise  in  the  establishment  of  manufacturing 
and  commercial  villages,  which  would  pour  their  increasing  trade  into  this  commer- 
cial mart  of  America.  Taking  into  view  the  great  increase  of  trade  and  population 
which  has  resulted  to  this  city  from  the  construction  of  the  Erie  and  Champlain  Ca- 
nals, it  IS  deemed  safe  to  estimate  the  enhanced  value  of  real  estate  in  the  City  of 
New- York,  in  consequence  of  the  completion  of  the  Genesee  and  Allegany  Canal,  vrhen 


.■v-^ 


344*  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

that  event  shall  lake  place,  at  five  per  cent,  on  the  present  amount,  which  was  ap- 
praised last  \i;ar  at  $104,IM2,'105. 

"The  distunce  oi  Hoclicsii-r  from  Albany  by  the  Erie  Canal  is  270  miles;  (Vom 
thence  to  Oleaii  by  the  proposed  ranal,  say  90  miles  ;  total  distance  from  Albany  to 
Clean,  360  milts,  and  from  IScw-Vork  to  the  same,  510  miles.  From  Oleaii  to  Pitts- 
burgh IS  200  miles  ;  thence  lo  the  mouth  of  the  Uhiu,  0(iO  miles  ;  thence  to  New-Or- 
leans, 990  miles.  Total  dislaice  from  Oleaii  to  New-Orleans,  2lb0  miles,  making 
an  inland  navigation  from  New-York  to  New-Orleans  of  2090  miles." 

As  an  appropriate  conclusion  to  these  opinions  respecting  the  Ro- 
chester and  Allejurany  Canal,  the  opinion  of  another  active  citizen  of 
New-York  may  he  quoted,  who  says — 

"Viewing  It  only  as  a  link  in  a  grand  communication  with  the  Ohio,  by  a  ready, 
cheap,  and  direct  route,  and  a  suflicient  reason  is  presented  for  its  construoiion.  Hut 
when  we  consider  it  in  a  more  national  and  erlarfied  sense,  and  recofiiiiKC  in  it  an 
BXTic.ssiciN  iir  iiLR  RKAM1  cANAi.,  by  wliich  the  C  ty  of  New- York  will  be  united 
with  the  immense  regions  of  country  through  wliich  How  the  navigable  rivers  of  the 
great  and  frninul  wc>tl,  it  i-wti.is  khmm  tiik  .minok  iMFimrAsnf  ok  a  mkancii 
CANAL  to  a  KIVAI.UY  WITH  THE  GREATEST  RIVER  ON  TUE  FACE  OF 
THE  HAUITAULE  GLOUE." 

3.  Rochester  and  Auburn  Railroad. 

The  cheering  intelligence  has  just  spread  before  the  public  that  this 
important  enterprise  is  added  to  the  list  of  ])ublic  works  which  are  to 
be  completed  with  ail  practicable  speed,  the  delays  having  been  occa- 
sioned by  the  condition  of  the  money  market,  and  the  desire  to  secure 
a  modification  of  the  charter.  Preparations  are  made  for  immediate 
operations  on  the  route.  Among  the  works  first  undertaken  will  be  the 
Railroad  Bridge  across  the  Genesee  in  Rochester,  a  few  rods  from  tho 
brink  of  the  iMiddle  or  Main  Falls,  together  with  a  Railroad  Depot  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  other  important  improvements.  The 
depot  will  occupy  part  of  the  premises  of  Messrs.  Everard  Peck  and 
Walter  S.  Griffith,  between  the  west  bank  of  the  river  and  Mill-street, 
on  which  street  the  depot  will  front.  In  connexion  with  this,  a  street 
is  to  be  opened  in  front  of  the  depot  through  to  State-street,  through  the 
block  owned  chiefly  by  Messrs.  W.  W.  Campbell,  of  New-York,  and  E. 
Darwin  Smith,  of  Rochester.  As  the  whole  route  between  Auburn  and 
Albany  will  be  completed  about  the  same  time  as  the  Rochester  and 
Albany  Railroad,  we  may  anticipate  that,  in  the  course  of  three  years, 
the  journey  between  Rochester  and  New- York  will  be  made  by  railroad 
and  steamboat  within  twenty-four  hours,  or  between  sunrise  on  one  day 
and  the  same  period  on  the  following  day  !  Visionary  as  the  prediction 
may  seem  at  first  sight,  a  little  calculation  will  show  its  practicability 
and  probability. 

Robert  Higham,  the  well-known  engineer  and  commissioner  of  the 
Rochester  and  Auburn  Railroad,  declares  that  "the  whole  distance 
between  Rochester  and  Auburn  may  be  passed  without  having  any 
grade  to  exceed  twenty-eight  feet  ascent  or  descent  per  mile,  and 
that  without  any  deep  cuttings  on  the  summits  or  high  embankments 
in  the  valleys.  The  curves  generally  will  be  of  a  large  radius,  only  one 
being  as  low  as  1000  feet."  "The  route  estimated  upon,"  adds  Mr. 
Higham,  "  commences  at  the  termination  of  the  Auburn  and  Syracuse 
Railroad,  and  passes  through  the  several  places  mentioned  in  the  char- 
ter, to  wit,  Seneca  Falls,  Waterloo,  Geneva,  Vienna,  Canandaigua,  and 
Victor,  and  extending  to  a  point  on  the  west  side  of  the  Genesee  River, 
in  the  central  part  of  the  City  of  Rochester,  where  the  Tonnewanta  (or 
Rochester  and  Batavia  or  Buffalo)  Railroad  can  be  connected  with  it  by 


TONNE  WANTA    RAILROAD.  *345 

a  route  that  admits  of  using  locomotive  power  to  the  junction  of  the 
two  roads  m  Rochester.  The  distance  from  the  village  of  Auburn  to 
the  City  of  Rochester  by  this  route  will  be  78  1-2  miles."  And  a 
beautiful  route  it  is,  passing  through  a  country  rich  by  nature  and  by  im- 
provement, and  through  several  of  the  finest  towns  of  Western  New- 
York.     Mr.  H.  thinks  the  work  will  be  finished  in  two  years. 

The  commissioner  further  declares  that  "  the  work  throughout  will 
be  of  a  plain  and  easy  character,  without  any  heavy  rock  excavation  or 
expensive  river  walling,  and  with  as  little  perishable  structure  as  perhaps 
any  road  of  the  same  extent  in  the  United  States."  "  Considering  this 
as  one  of  the  links  in  the  great  chain  of  Western  Railroads  from  Bos- 
ton to  Buffalo  and  the  '  Far  West,'  "  he  adds,  "  the  estimates  are  made 
on  a  scale  of  corresponding  character  and  magnitude  to  accommodate 
the  business  of  this  great  and  increasing  thoroughfare  ;  and  nothing 
short  of  a  double  track  will,  in  my  opinion,  be  adequate  for  any  great 
period.  This  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  the  travel  of  the  Utica  and 
bchenectady  Railroad,  which  forms  another  link  in  the  same  chain, 
already  requires  the  second  track  to  do  the  business  of  carrying  pas- 
sengers only  ;  and  the  fact  that  the  Tonnewanta  Railroad  (from  Ro- 
Chester  to  Batavia),  with  its  present  accommodations,  havina  only  a 
single  track,  is  madequate  to  the  business,  although  trains  of'cars  run 
day  and  night."     Simon  Traver,  Resident  Engineer. 

4.  Tonnewanta  Railroad,  on  the  line  hetiveen  Lake  Erie  and  the 
Atlantic. 

The  President  of  the  Tonnewanta  Railroad  Company  is  David  E 
Evans;  the  Vice-president,  Jonathan  Childs ;  the  Treasurer  A  M 
Schermerhorn ;  the  Secretary,  Frederic  Whittlesey.  All,  save  the 
first-named  gentleman,  reside  in  Rochester.  Mr.  Evans  lives  at  Ba- 
tavia.     The  engineer  was  Elisha  Johnson 

This  work  might  have  been  more  appropriately  named  from  the  towns 
which  It  connects  than  from  the  stream  through  whose  valley  it  partly 
passes.  It  IS  finished  now  as  far  as  Batavia,  but  is  to  be  continued  to 
Attica,  and  will  connect  with  the  proposed  route  from  one  of  the  latter 
points  to  Buffalo.     The  present  agent  at  Rochester  is  A.  Sprague. 

Travelling  by  locomotives  was  commenced  on  this  road  between  Ro- 
chester and  Batavia  in  May,  1837.  The  length  of  this  route  is  a  frac- 
tion less  than  thirty-two  miles,  which  is  a  shorter  distance  than  that 
of  any  other  road  existing  between  the  two  points.  There  are  but  few 
curves,  and  those  are  so  slight  as  to  be  scarcely  perceptible,  in  this  rail- 
road. The  average  ascent  is  about  twelve  feet  per  mile.  The  grade 
has  been  of  comparatively  easy  construction,  except  in  the  section  near 
Batavia,  where  two  heavy  excavations  and  two  considerable  embank- 
ments greatly  retarded  the  completion  of  the  work.  The  construction 
and  importance  of  this  railroad  have  elicited  remarks  from  the  Buffalo 
press  which  show  that  the  character  of  the  work  is  fully  appreciated 
elsewhere  than  m  the  city  of  Rochester. 

Preferring  generally  in  this  volume  to  quote  the  testimony  of  those 
whose  local  position  or  other  circumstances  may  be  supposed  to  free 
them  from  undue  partialities  on  questions  particularly  connected  with 
the  affairs  of  Rochester,  we  here  substitute  some  remarks  from  the 
.Buffalo  Commercial  Advertiser  in  lieu  of  our  own  observations. 


346*  SKETCHES    OF   ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

"  The  charter  of  the  Tonnewanta  Railroad  Company  extends  for  fifty 
years  from  April  24th,  1832.  The  capital  stock  is  $500,000,  in  shares 
of  $100  each — $70  per  share  have  been  paid  in  upon  the  stock,  making, 
in  the  whole,  the  sum  of  $350,000.  There  have  been  expended  by 
the  company  about  $375,000.  In  addition  to  the  expenditure  upon  the 
road  itself,  the  company  have  purchased  lands  in  Rochester  and  Ba- 
tavia,  for  the  necessary  purposes  of  the  road,  to  the  amount  of  about 
$20,000.  They  have  erected  an  engine-house,  machine-shop,  car- 
houses,  shops  for  making  cars,  and  other  buildings  about  the  Depot  in 
Rochester. 

"  The  road  has  been  constructed  with  great  solidity,  upon  a  plan  be- 
lieved to  have  been  heretofore  untried,  proposed  by  Elisha  Johnson,  of 
Rochester,  chief  engineer  of  the  work.  This  plan  is  probably  prefera- 
ble to  that  of  any  road  not  made  of  more  durable  materials.  The 
yearly  expense  of  repairs  will  be  much  less  than  upon  other  roads, 
while  the  danger  arising  from  cars  running  off  the  track  is  much  di- 
minished by  the  fact  that  they  will,  in  such  cases,  have  a  smooth  road 
of  earth  to  run  upon,  unobstructed  by  any  cross  timbers  abo^'e  ground. 
Much  of  this  road  has  stood  the  test  of  two  winters,  and  has  exhibited 
the  effects  of  frost  much  less  than  the  common  railroads. 

"The  whole  expense  of  acquiring  title  to  land  for  the  road,  and  for 
constructing  the  railway  and  fixtures  thereon,  is  something  less  than 
$10,000  per  mile.  The  construction  of  the  track  from  Batavia  upon 
the  Tonnewanta  Creek  to  Attica,  twelve  miles,  will  cost  about  $100,000. 
The  cost  of  constructing  the  entire  road,  and  finishing  it  fully,  with 
cars,  locomotives,  and  depots,  $700,000. 

*'  A  glance  at  the  map  of  Western  New- York  will  show  the  importance 
of  this  route.  The  entire  travel  which  throngs  through  the  western  part 
of  the  state  now  either  passes  through  Rochester  by  canal  or  stage 
on  one  route,  or  through  Avon,  Le  Roy,  and  Batavia  by  stage  on  an- 
other route  still  farther  south.  This  railroad  passes  from  an  important 
point  on  one  route  to  an  important  point  on  the  other,  and  connects 
the  two.  It  is  also  a  connecting  link  in  the  great  chain  of  railroads 
from  Boston  to  Buffalo  ;  or,  to  carry  out  the  plan,  from  Bangor  in 
Maine  to  Rock  River  on  the  Mississippi  !  This  chain  is  rapidly  forging, 
link  by  link.  The  important  point  for  us  to  reach  directly  is  Boston  ;  but 
the  march  of  improvement  is  pushing  thence  northeastward  by  railroads, 
through  Salem,  Newburyport,  Portsmouth,  and  Portland  to  Bangor,  in 
distant  Maine  ! 

"  It  is  a  swelling  thought  to  contemplate  the  vast,  the  varied,  the  im- 
portant interests  which  these  lines  of  direct  and  swift  communication, 
with  their  far-reaching  ramifications,  will  embrace,  unite,  and  strength- 
en !  All  the  thousand  ties  of  daily  mutual  intercourse  twining  stronger 
and  stronger  together  the  many-stranded  cord  of  national  union  !  *  *  * 

"  When  the  entire  route  from  Rochester  to  Buffalo  is  completed, 
even  before  the  Rochester  and  Auburn  Road  is  finished,  it  is  estimated 
that  not  less  than  four  or  five  hundred  passengers  will  pass  daily  from 
point  to  point  during  the  travelling  season  of  the  year.  The  price  of 
passage  from  Rochester  to  Batavia  is  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  ;  from 
Rochester  to  Buifalo  it  will  be  three  dollars.  The  whole  road  will  be 
run,  it  is  contemplated,  under  a  single  arrangement  with  one  set  of  cars 
and  locomotives. 

"  A  slight  calculation  from  the  above  data  will  show  how  great  must 
be  the  income,  even  after  making  every  allowance  for  expenses.     If  vfQ 


ROCHESTER    RAILROAD.  *347 

suppose  the  receipts  of  the  route  from  Rochester  to  Batavia  to  be  $1000 
per  day  (which  is  less  than  the  above  estimate  would  warrant)  for  240 
days,  it  would  give  for  receipts  $240,000.  If  we  suppose  the  ex- 
penses to  be  $200  per  day  for  the  same  time  (which  is  much  greater 
than  present  expenses  would  justify),  it  would  give  for  expenses 
$46,000,  and  the  balance  or  profit  would  be  nearly  $200,000,  which, 
upon  a  capital  of  $700,000,  would  be  nearly  thirty  per  cent. 

"  The  carrying  of  produce  and  merchandise  will  be  a  very  important 
item  in  the  receipts  of  the  Tonnewanta  Railroad.  It  will  give,  accord- 
ing to  computation  from  the  business  done  upon  the  road  last  fall,  an 
aggregate  of  more  than  ten  thousand  tons  annually,  requiring  at  least 
one  hundred  freight  cars  drawn  by  locomotives.  It  will,  at  any  rate, 
aid  in  defraying,  if  it  does  not  quite  defray  the  expenses  of  the  pas- 
senger trains,  and  leave  almost  the  entire  income  from  passengers  a 
clear  profit. 

"  The  speedy  completion  of  the  railroad  from  Batavia  to  Buffalo  is 
now  a  very  desirable  thing.  It  has  been  already  commenced  on  the 
line  between  Batavia  and  Pembroke,  the  land  requisite  having  been 
some  time  since  purchased  by  the  company  who  have  undertaken  the 
project,  and  the  necessary  surveys  made.  The  route  is  one  of  the  most 
feasible  in  the  United  States — is  a  straight  line  for  the  whole  distance, 
and  the  descent  is  uniform,  not  averaging  more  than  eight  feet  to  the 
mile,  and  requiring  no  stationary  power.  When  this  is  completed,  the 
whole  line  from  Rochester  to  I3utfalo  will  be  nearly  straight,  and  the 
distance  less  than  67  miles ;  while  the  distance  between  the  two 
places  by  the  present  travelled  road  is  74  miles,  and  by  the  canal  93 
miles.  The  railroad  can  be  traversed  in  three,  or  at  the  most  in  four 
hours,  while  the  stages  consume  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  hours,  and 
the  canal-packets  about  twenty-four  hours  in  passing  between  the  two 
places. 

"  The  company  engaged  in  the  Buffalo  and  Batavia  Railroad  con- 
sists of  some  of  the  most  wealthy  citizens  of  Buffalo,  associated  with 
several  other  gentlemen  of  Batavia  and  Rochester.  The  capital  stock  is 
$480,000.  The  cost  of  the  road  is  not  accurately  estimated,  but  will 
probably  be  considerably  less  per  mile  than  that  of  the  Tonnewanta 
Railroad.  As  much  progress  will  be  made  in  the  work  this  season  as 
practicable,  and  next  year  will  most  probably  witness  its  completion.  In- 
deed, we  are  hardly  too  sanguine  in  assuming  that  within  two  years, 
or  in  the  year  1840,  the  entire  route  from  Boston  to  Buffalo  (through 
the  city  of  Rochester)  will  be  in  active  and  successful  operation." 

Rochester  Railroad. 

The  President  of  the  company  is  John  Greig  ;  the  Treasurer,  A.  M. 
Schermerhorn ;  the  Secretary,  F.  M.  Haight.  Mr.  Greig  resides  at  Can- 
andaigua,  the  other  gentlemen  at  Rochester. 

The  road  has  been  in  operation  a  few  years.  Its  length  is  about  two 
miles  on  a  straight  line.  It  runs  between  the  east  end  of  the  Canal 
Aqueduct  in  the  southern  part  of  Rochester  and  the  Ontario  Steamboat- 
Landing  at  the  northern  boundary  of  the  city — thus  connecting  the  trade 
of  the  Erie  Canal  with  that  of  the  Genesee  River  and  Lake  Ontario. 
The  road  runs  close  to  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  and  at  some  points 
passes  within  a  few  feet  of  the  edge  of  the  perpendicular  banks,  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high.  Horace  Hooker  &  Co.  are  lessees  of 
this  road — Mr.  Hinsdale  the  agent. 


348*  SKETCHES    OP    ROCHESTER,  ETC. 


TRADE  AND  MANUFACTURES  OF  ROCHESTER. 
Preliminary  Notice  of  the  Genesee  River. 

Besides  the  particulars  of  this  stream  incidentally  included  in  the  ac- 
count of  the  climate  and  soil  of  the  valley,  some  further  information  ia 
necessary  to  a  correct  appreciation  of  the  characteristics  of  the  Gene- 
sec.  As  the  river  runs  through  the  centre  of  the  city,  furnishing  the 
hydraulic  advantages  which  form  prominent  ingredients  in  the  prosperity 
of  Rochester,  such  particulars  may  be  appropriately  introduced  here, 
preliminary  to  an  account  of  the  manufacturcB  and  other  business  of 
the  city. 

The  name,  expressive  as  the  generality  of  Indian  designations,  is  in- 
dicative of  the  characteristics  of  the  country  through  which  the  river 
flows.  The  word  Genesee  signifies  Pleasant  Valley.  Few  rivers  of 
equal  extent  have  scenery  more  picturesque — there  are  none  with  banks 
more  fertde.  From  its  rise  in  Pennsylvania,  till  it  mingles  its  waters 
with  Lake  Ontario  near  the  City  of  Rochester,  the  shores  of  the  Gen- 
esee present  a  succession  of  beauties,  such  as  in  other  lands  would  at- 
tract crowds  of  admiring  travellers.* 

The  SOURCE  is  not  less  remarkable  than  the  course  of  the  Genesee. 
The  table  land  in  which  it  originates  is  about  1700  feet  above  the  At- 
lantic level,  and  furnishes  within  a  space  of  six  miles  square  streams 
which  flow  towards  the  ocean  in  opposite  directions — through  the  St. 
Lawrence,  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  !  The  bold 
and  romantic  features  of  its  shores  are  strikingly  exemplified  in  a  brief 
portion  of  its  course  through  Allegany  county,  in  the  State  of  New- 
York.  Within  a  couple  of  miles  the  river  is  precipitated  upward  of 
three  hundred  feet !  This  great  descent  embraces  threet  perpendicu- 
lar pitches — the  F.^lls  of  Nunda — presenting  much  of  the  sublime  and 

*  Selling  a.siile  ancient  associations,  how  will  the  celebrated  cataracls  of  the  Nile 
compare  even  with  Ihe  falls  of  llie  tienesee  in  Rochester  ?  Let  Ihe  young  Americau 
traveller,  Stephens,  reply  :— 

"  The  road  lay  nearly  all  the  way  along  the  Nile,  commanding  a  full  view  of  the 
cataracts,  or,  rather,  if  a  citizen  of  a  New  World  may  lay  his  innovating  hand  upon 
things  consecrated  by  the  universal  consent  of  apes,  what  we  who  have  heard  the 
roar  of  Niagara  would  call  simply  '  the  rapids.'  *  *  *  The  principal  cataract  (I  con- 
tinue to  call  it  cataract  by  courtesy)  is  a  fall  of  about  two  feet  I  *  *  *  And  these  were 
the  great  cataracts  of  the  Nile,  whose  roar  in  ancient  days  affrighted  the  Egyptian 
boatmen,  and  which  history  and  poetry  have  invested  with  extraordinary  ideal  ter- 
rors !  The  traveller  who  has  corne  from  a  country  as  far  distant  as  mine,  bringing 
all  that  freshness  of  feeling  with  which  a  citizen  of  the  New  World  turns  to  the  sto- 
ried wonders  of  the  Old,  and  has  roamed  over  the  mountains  and  drunk  of  the  rivers 
of  Greece,  will  have  found  himself  so  often  cheated  by  the  exaggerated  accounts  of 
the  ancients,  the  vivid  descriptions  of  poets,  and  his  own  imagination,  that  he  will 
hardly  feel  disappointed  when  he  stands  by  this  apology  for  a  cataract.  Here  the 
Nubian  boys  liad  a  great  feat  to  show,  viz  ,  jump  into  the  cataract  and  float  down  to 
the  point  of  the  island.  The  inhabitants  of  the  countries  bordering  on  the  Nile  are 
great  swimmers,  and  the  Nubians  are  perhaps  the  best  of  all;  but  this  was  no 
great  feat.  The  great  and  ever-to-be-lamented  Sam  Patch  would  have  made  the 
Nubians  stare,  and  shown  them,  in  his  own  pithy  phrase,  '  that  some  folks  could  do 
things  as  well  as  other  folks ;'  and  I  question  if  there  is  a  cataract  on  the  Nile  at 
which  that  daring  diver  would  not  have  turned  up  his  nose  in  scorn." — Incidents  of 
Travel  in  Egypt,  &c. 

t  On  some  maps,  and  in  most  statements,  but  two  falls  are  noticed  at  Nunda  or 
Portage. 


THE    GENESEE    RIVER.  *349 

beautiful — the  ravine  worn  through  rock  by  the  river  (leaving  perpen- 
dicular banks  of  from  two  to  four  hundred  feet)  being  scarcely  less  won- 
derful than  the  cataracts  of  the  stream. 

Descending  from  the  high  lands  of  Allegany  and  emerging  from  be- 
tween rocky  banks  of  great  height,  the  Genesee  courses  through  a  re- 
gion of  opposite  character — a  region  unsurpassed  in  fertility,  and  replete 
with  charms  rivalling  those  with  which  poetry  has  invested  the  flowery 
meadows  of  Old  England.  Rarely  does  the  eye  rest  upon  a  loveUer 
scene  than  the  valley  of  this  stream  presents  from  the  villages  of  Gene- 
seo*  or  Mount  Morris,  which  are  built  on  declivities  on  either  side  of 
the  flats.  Here  are  the  beauties  of  nature  most  harmoniously  blended 
with  the  elements  of  agricultural  wealth.  At  this  portion  of  the  Valley 
OF  THE  Genesee  the  prospect  is  bounded  by  the  swelling  uplands  on 
either  side  and  the  Allegany  hills  in  the  southern  distance.  "  The  Gen- 
esee Flats  in  particular,  to  which,  probably,  the  Indian  appellation  refer- 
red, must  strike  every  eye  as  peculiarly  worthy  of  the  name,"  remarks 
the  intelligent  chronicler  in  Peck's  Directory  of  Rochester  for  1827. 
"  These  flats  are  either  natural  prairies  or  Indian  clearings ;  of  which, 
however,  the  Indians  have  no  traditions.  Contrasting  their  smooth  ver- 
dure with  the  shaggy  hills  that  bound  the  horizon  from  Avon  southwardly, 
and  their  occasional  clumps  of  spreading  trees,  with  the  tall  and  naked 
relics  of  the  forest,  nothing  can  strike  with  a  more  agreeable  sensation 
the  eye  long  accustomed  to  the  interrupted  prospects  of  a  level  and 
wooded  country.  Had  the  Indians  who  first  gave  this  name  to  the  val- 
ley beheld  the  flocks  and  herds  that  now  enliven  its  landscape,  and 
the  busy  towns  with  spires  overlooking  it  from  the  neighbouring  hills, 
the  boats  transporting  its  superabundant  wealth  down  its  winding 
stream,  and  the  scenes  of  intellectual  and  moral  felicity  to  which  it  con- 
tributes in  the  homes  of  its  present  enlightened  occupants — and  had 
they  been  able  to  appreciate  all  this,  they  would  have  contrived  the  long- 
est superlative  which  their  language  could  furnish  to  give  it  a  name."t 

*  "  A  tract  of  about  1200  acres,  situate  in  a  bend  of  the  river  at  this  point,  is  usually 
called  Big-tree,  or  the  Big-tree  Bend  tract,  from  an  Indian  chief  of  the  name  of  Big-tree, 
who,  witli  his  little  band  of  Senecas,  cultivated  the  flats  in  this  bend  when  the  whites 
first  settled  in  1790,"  said  Spafford  in  1824.  "  Here  are  now  Wadsworth's  Farms,  cele- 
brated for  their  fertility,  products,  and  stock  ;  and  the-se  flats  are  very  productive 
of  hemp,  first  raised  here  in  1801,  now  extensively  cultivated  in  this  county.  In 
Fall-brook,  beside  these  flats  and  near  the  river,  there  is  a  cascade  of  near  100  feet 
perpendicular.  This  town  was  first  settled  in  the  summer  of  1790  by  William  and 
James  Wadsworth,  principal  proprietors,  who  came  from  the  State  of  Connecticut." 
*  *  *  *  "  In  1797  I  found  the  settlements  but  feeble,  contending  with  innumerable 
difficulties,"  adds  Spafford.  "  In  order  to  see  the  whole 'power  of  the  country,' a 
military  muster  of  all  the  men  capable  of  bearing  arms,  I  waited  a  day  or  two  and 
attended  '  the  training.'  Major  Wadsworth  was  then  the  commanding  officer ;  and, 
including  the  men  who  had  guns  and  who  had  not,  with  the  boys,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, it  was  supposed  that  nearly  200  persons  were  collected.  This  training,  one  of 
the  first  in  Ontario  county,  was  held  at  Captain  Pitts's,  on  the  Honeoye,  and  lasted  all 
day  and  night."  The  Honeoye  is  a  creek  that  joins  Genesee  River  between  Rochester 
and  Avon  ;  and  on  it  is  situate  the  flourishing  village  of  Honeoye  Falls,  formerly 
West  Mendon. 

t  As  we  have  some  curiosity  in  examining  what  was  said  about  this  country  by 
the  early  settlers,  we  quote  a  note  by  Captain  Williamson,  as  found  in  Maude's 
Travels : — 

"  It  is  difficult  to  account  for  these  openings  (large  tracts  of  land  free  of  timber), 
or  for  the  open  flats  on  the  Genesee  River,  where  10,000  acres  may  be  found  in  one 
body,  not  eve n  encumbered  with  a  bush  ;  but  covered  with  grass  of  such  height  that 
the  largest  bullocks,  at  thirty  feet  from  the  path,  will  be  completely  hid  from  the  view. 
This  kind  of  land,  from  the  ignorance  of  the  first  settlers  in  regard  to  its  quality,  was 

30 


350* 


SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 


The  pleasantness  of  the  valley  from  Geneseo  to  Rochester  is  prover 
bial.  The  stream  is  extremely  serpentine  in  its  course  for  the  greater 
part  of  this  space. 

Various  thriving  villages  are  scattered  along  the  banks  ;  and  the  thou- 
sands who  visit  the  Avon  Springs*  find  the  country  as  agreeable  as 
the  niiiieral  waters  are  salutary.  The  bridge  across  the  river  at  Avon, 
on  the  road  between  Canandaigua  and  Buffalo,  was  the  first  crossing- 
place  erected  on  the  Genesee,  nearly  twenty  years  before  Rochester 
existed  even  in  name. 

The  Falls  of  the  Genesee  in  Rochester  are  remarkable  for  their  ap- 
pearance as  well  as  for  their  hydraulic  power,  as  may  be  conjectured 
from  the  fact  that  the  river  is  precipitated  about  260  feet  within  the 
city  limits.  Though  the  mere  business  man  may  calculate  the  hydraulic 
value  of  the  falls  in  dollars  and  cents,  they  afford  a  scene  valuable  beyond 
price  to  the  geologist  and  mineralogist.  By  one  who  can  "  look  on  Na- 
ture with  admiring  eye,"  an  hour  spent  in  rambling  along  the  banks  in  and 
around  Rochester  could  rarely  be  more  pleasantly  appropriated.  The 
deep  channel  worn  by  the  river  displays  occasionally  on  either  side  pre- 
cipitous banks,  exhibiting  various  strata,  petrifactions,  &c.  ;  and  those 
who  are  curious  in  such  matters  imagine  they  discover  in  superincum- 
bent rocks  marks  of  the  attrition  of  water  strongly  corroborative  of  the 
prolific  theory  respecting  the  ancient  height  of  Lake  Ontario. 

Nor  is  this  section  destitute  of  historic  interest.  Tradition  recounts 
adventures  from  which  the  pen  of  Irving  might  be  profitably  employed  in 
sketching  illustrations  of  the  aborigines  and  scenery  of  his  native  state. 
The  valley  of  the  Genesee  was  the  theatre  of  many  scenes  important  in 
the  history  of  the  Six  Nations — those  bold  warriors  whose  conquests 
over  other  tribes  from  Canada  to  Georgia  won  for  them  the  title  of  the 
Romans  of  America.! 

supposed  to  be  barren  ;  and  six  years  ago  (in  1792)  would  not  have  sold  for  twenty 
five  cents  an  acre — it  is  now,  in  1798,  reckoned  cheap  at  ten  dollars  an  acre." — And 
not  dear  in  1S38  at  (en  limes  us  price  in  1798. 

*  Among  ihe earliest  settlers  at  Ihis  early-settled  point  on  the  Genesee,  the  Hosmera 
may  be  named  ;  from  ihe  present  head  of  which  family,  George  Hosmer,  we  have 
gathered  many  particulars  respecting  the  early  settlements  ;  some  of  which  are  im- 
bodied  in  the  appendix.  William  C.  H.  Hosmer,  son  of  Judge  H.,  is  known  as  the 
author  of  several  beautiful  poetical  contributions  to  the  periodical  and  daily  press; 
some  of  which  refer  to  the  lormer  occupants  and  principal  scenes  of  the  Geneseo 
Valley. 

t  Among  the  historical  events  connected  with  the  Genesee,  it  may  be  mentioned 
that,  in  1683,  M.  Delaharre,  the  governor-general  of  Canada,  inarched  with  an  army 
against  the  cantons  of  the  Five  Nations.  He  landed  near  Oswego  ;  but,  finding  him- 
self incompetent  to  meet  the  enemy,  he  instituted  a  negotiation  and  demanded  a  con- 
ference. "On  this  occasion,"  says  Lie  Witt  Clinton,  "Garangula,  an  Onondaga 
chief,  attended  in  behalf  of  his  country,  and  made  the  celebrated  reply  to  M.  Delabarre. 
*  *  *  The  French  retired  from  the  country  with  disgrace.  The  second  general 
expedition  was  undertaken  in  1687  by  M.  Denonville,  governor-general.  He  had 
treacherously  seized  several  of  their  ciiiefs,  and  sent  them  to  the  galleys  in  France. 
He  was  at  the  head  of  an  army  exceeding  2000  men.  He  landed  in  Irondequoit  Bay 
[about  four  miles  from  Genesee  River],  and,  when  near  a  village  of  the  Senecas,  was 
attacked  by  500,  and  would  have  been  defeated  if  his  Indian  allies  had  not  rallied  and 
repulsed  the  enemy.  After  destroying  some  provisions  and  burning  some  villages, 
he  retired  without  any  acquisition  of  laurels.  The  place  on  which  this  battle  was 
fought  has  been,  within  a  tew  years,  owned  by  Judge  Porter  of  Niagara.  On  plough- 
ing the  land,  three  hundred  hatchets  and  upward  of  three  thousand  pounds  of  old  iron 
were  found,  being  more  than  sufficient  to  defray  the  expense  of  clearing  it." 


WATER-POWER   OF    THE    GENESEE.  *351 


The  Water-power  of  the  Genesee. 

Calculations  have  been  made  that  the  quantity  of  water  generally 
passing  in  the  Genesee  River  at  Rochester  is  about  20,000  cubic  feet 
per  minute.  The  water-power  has  also  been  estimated  as  equal  to 
about  two  thousand  steam-engines  of  twenty  horse  power  ;  and,  esti- 
mating horse-power  as  valued  in  England,  it  has  been  computed  that  the 
hydraulic  privileges  at  Rochester  may  be  made  worth  ten  millions  of 
dollars  per  annum.  Those  who  made  these  calculations  more  than  a 
dozen  years  ago  did  not  include  more  than  one  half  the  fall  within  the 
city  limits — for  the  city  includes  double  the  amount  of  fall  which  was 
contained  within  the  village  limits.  So  that,  even  by  the  calculations 
heretofore  made,  the  value  of  our  water-power  might  be  estimated  at 
about  double  what  was  formerly  stated.  But  the  increased  skill  with 
which  the  water  privileges  are  now  being  improved — the  extent  of  the 
fall  permitting  the  water  to  be  used  over  and  over  again,  in  some  cases 
three  or  four  times  on  the  same  lot,  if  required — renders  idle  all  calcula- 
tions of  specific  value.  With  falls  and  rapids  causing  a  descent  of 
about  260  feet  within  the  city  limits,  the  water-power  of  the  Genesee  at 
Rochester  may,  for  all  practical  purposes,  be  deemed  illimitable. 

The  greatest  flood  ever  known  in  the  Genesee  River  occurred  in  the 
fall  of  1835.  Nothing  equal  to  it  has  occurred  within  the  knowledge  of 
the  earliest  settlers  in  Rochester  and  its  vicinity.  Although  it  was  un- 
precedented, it  may  find  frequent  parallels  ;  for,  as  the  country  becomes 
better  cleared,  the  water  (from  the  rain  or  thawing  snow)  will  more  sud- 
denly find  its  way  to  the  river  than  could  be  the  case  from  wild  land. 
The  influence  exercised  on  the  character  of  many  streams  by  the  im- 
provement of  the  country  is  a  subject  worthy  of  attention. 

The  greatness  of  the  flood  of  1835  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact 
that  the  quantity  of  water  which  then  passed  was  estimated  at  two  mil- 
lions one  hundred  and  sixty-four  thousand  cubic  feet  per  minute  !  Ima- 
gination may  picture  better  than  pen  can  describe  the  foaming  and  roar- 
ing of  such  a  mighty  flood  rushing  over  rapids  and  falls  forming  at  Ro- 
chester a  descent  about  100  feet  higher  than  the  perpendicular  pitch  of 
Niagara. 

This  estimate  was  made  by  Hervey  Ely,  after  experiments  in  meas- 
urement made  with  his  usual  circumspection,  the  results  of  which  were 
politely  furnished  to  us  at  the  time.  Much  damage  was  done  by  the 
flood  along  the  Flats  of  the  Genesee,  from  Mount  Morris  down  to  Ro- 
chester. A  Le  Roy  print  mentioned  that  the  Genesee  overflowed  the 
whole  Flats,  and  did  much  damage  to  hay  and  corn.  The  water  cov- 
ered the  road  clear  to  Le  Roy's  mill,  a  distance  of  more  than  a  mile  on 
the  way  from  Avon  to  Le  Roy.  The  new  bridije  at  the  Lower  Falls  in 
Rochester  was  swept  away,  and  other  bridges  sustained  damage.  Much 
care  was  requisite  to  preserve  the  main  bridge  in  the  city.  Buffalo- 
street  was  overflowed  as  far  west  as  the  Arcade,  and  goods  were  injured 
in  cellars.  "  "W^hile  we  have  been  suflfermg  for  the  want  of  rain  m  this 
section,"  says  a  New- York  paper  in  publishing  the  accounts  from  the 
Genesee  country,  "  the  western  part  of  the  state  has  been  deluged." 


352*  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 


Views  on  the  Genesee  River  in  ihe  Cily  of  Rochester,  commencing  north- 
-ward  and  approaching  from  Lake  Ontario. 

View  I.  exhibits  the  appearance  of  the  Port  of  Rochester  at  the  Ontario  Steamboat- 
Landing,  at  the  north  line  of  the  city,  about  live  miles  from  the  lake.  The  largest 
▼essels  on  the  lakes  ran  ascend  the  river  to  this  point.  There  is  a  winding  road  from 
the  wharves  up  the  bank;  and  there  are  three  railways  lor  fiicililatine  the  business 
between  the  vessels  and  the  warehouses  on  the  upper  banks,  which  are  here  about 
160  feet  high. 

View  II.  represents  the  two  steps  of  the  Lower  Falls,  about  half  a  mile  south  of 
the  Sieainboal  Landing.  The  first  step  is  about  25  feet ;  and  at  this  point  there  is  a 
dam  for  throwing  the  water  into  races  on  both  sides  of  the  river  for  supplying  various 
mills  and  other  maiiuracluring  eslahlistirnenls.  The  second  or  last  ^lop  i.s  84  feet. 
On  the  east  bank  of  the  river  (left  side  of  tlie  engraving)  is  represented  a  fragment 
of  the  framework  of  the  celebrated  structure  called  "  Carthage  Hridge,"  an  account 
of  which,  and  of  the  fate  of  Callin  at  these  falls,  is  elsewhere  given  in  this  volume. 

View  III.  The  Third  Water-poiver.  'I'he  darn  which  creates  hydraulic  privileges 
here  is  nearly  equidistant  between  the  Middle  or  Main  Falls  and  the  Lower  Falls. 
The  tract  contains  about  3S  acres  of  alluvial  soil,  and  a  slone  wall  is  built  lo  prevent 
the  encroachments  of  the  rivi-rand  to  jironioie  the  arrangements  for  hydraulic  power. 
As  the  engraving  shows,  this  tract  is  like  the  tract  whereon  are  built  the  mills,  &c., 
at  the  Lower  Falls,  considerably  below  the  level  of  the  surrounding  banks.  IJut  it 
is  a  pleasant  spot,  and  must  soon  be  much  improved,  from  its  proximity  to  the  centre 
of  business  and  the  increasing  demand  for  water-power  in  the  centre  of  Ihe  cily. 
The  towers  of  churches  and  tops  of  other  buildings  will,  by  coinparison  wiih  other 
engravings,  readily  indicale  the  position  of  this  wiiter-power.  The  buildings  shown 
in  the  distance  on  the  west  bank  are  those  more  fully  exhibited  in  the  (first)  view  of 
the  Main  Falls.  This  Third  Water-power  was  formerly  owned  by  Elisha  .lohnson 
and  L.  Tousey,  but  lias  pa.ssed  into  the  hands  of  a  company,  consisting  of  Ur.  Alex- 
ander Kelsey,  of  Rochester,  Col.  James  Lorimer  Orahani,  of  New- York,  and  oihers. 
In  addition  to  the  wall  constructed  to  guard  the  banks  against  the  river  and  to  pro- 
mote hydraulic  operations,  a  bridge  is  to  be  erected  iinmediately  by  the  cornp^my,  and 
millraces  opened,  as  shown  by  the  dark  lines  on  the  tract. 

View  IV.  The  Middle  or  Main  Fall,  96  feet  high  ;  viewed  from  the  east  side  of  the 
river,  including  a  section  of  the  city  called  ihe  "  Frankfort  Tract"  on  the  west  bank, 
exhibiting  many  valuable  mills,  manufactories,  &c.  The  Gothic  tower  seen  in  the 
distance  is  that  of  the  Catholic  church.  From  a  small  island  in  the  river  at  the  brink 
of  these  falls,  Sam  Patch  demonstrated  by  his  last  leap  that  "  some  things  can  be 
done  as  well  as  others." 

View  V.  also  represents  the  Middle  or  Main  Fall,  a  second  view,  taken  from  a 
curve  in  the  bank,  whi-  h  enables  the  spectator  to  look  up  the  river  as  lar  as  the 
bridge  which  connects  Buffalo-street  on  llie  west  and  Main  street  on  the  east  bank 
of  the  river.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  buildings  erected  on  piers  along  the  north 
side  of  the  bridge  are  shown  in  the  jiiciure.  The  spires  of  several  churches  and  the 
towers  of  tiie  Arcade  and  Rochester  House  are  likewise  seen  in  the  dl^lance.  The 
tower  of  St.  Paul's  appe<trs  above  the  outbuildings  attached  to  the  Genesee  Falls 
Mills  of  O.  E.  and  A.  G.  Gibbs— which  mills  are  in  the  foreground,  on  the  brink  of 
the  east  side  of  the  falls.  The  railroad  bridge  of  the  Rochester  and  Auburn  com- 
pany will  cross  the  Genesee  within  a  few  rods  of  the  brink  of  these  falls. 

View  VI.  represents  Uie  Great  Aqueduct  o(  llie  Erie  Canal  across  the  Genesee 
River  in  ihe  City  of  Rochesler.  This  is  as  the  new  aqueduct  will  appear,  varying 
in  some  respects  from  the  present  edifice.  The  new  work  will  be  completed  in  about 
three  years— during  1840.  It  will  strike  the  east  bank  sot/«/i  of  and  adjoining  the 
mills  of  Hervey  I'Uy  ;  the  present  aqueduct  connects  with  the  canal  on  the  ea.st  bank 
north  of  those  mills.  The  large  building  at  the  west  end  of  the  aqueduct  (on  the 
right  of  the  picture)  is  part  of  the  mammoth  Mills  of  Thomas  Kempshall.  The  jail, 
which  is  situate  on  an  island  in  the  river,  is  seen  over  the  second  arch  from  the  west 
side.  The  high  ground  in  the  distance  is  that  of  which  the  corporation  purchased 
about  fifty  acres  for  the  purposes  of  a  city  cemetiry,  designed  to  be  laid  out  like  the 
celebrated  cemetery  of  Mount  Auburn  near  Boston,  &c.  The  First  Fall  of  the  Gen- 
esee in  Uochester.  which  might  be  better  described  as  a  rapid,  is  about  16  feet,  and  is 
a  few  rods  south  of  the  aqueduct,  nearly  abreast  of  the  jail. 


GENESEE    RIVER   NAVIGATION.  *353 

TRANSPORTATION  ON  RIVER,  LAKE,  CANAL,  &c. 

Genesee  River  Navigation. 

The  Genesee  River  is  navigable  for  steamboats  and  other  lake  vessels 
from  the  north  line  of  the  city  to  Lake  Ontario,  a  distance  of  five  miles. 
From  near  the  south  line  of  the  city  the  river  is  navigable  by  smaller 
vessels  for  about  forty  miles,  as  far  as  Fitzhugh's  warehouse  on  the 
Canaseraga  Creek,  between  Mount  Morris  and  the  residence  of  Colonel 
Filzhugh,  in  Groveland,  near  Geneseo.  (Colonel  F.  was  an  associate 
of  Colonel  Rochester  and  Mr.  Carroll  in  buying  and  laying  out  the  Hun- 
chester  the  river  navigation  is  interrupted  by  a  succession  of  falls  and 
dred-acre  Tract.)  Between  the  north  and  south  line  of  the  City  of  Ro- 
rapids,  making  an  aggregate  descent  in  that  short  distance  of  266  feet. 

A  small  steamboat  ran  for  a  couple  of  seasons  between  Rochester 
and  the  villages  southward  along  the  river,  touching  at  Scottsville,  Avon, 
York,  and  other  points,  for  the  purpose  chiefly  of  towing  the  freight- 
boats  loaded  with  the  grain  and  other  products  accumulated  at  the  thri- 
ving villages  of  the  rich  valley  of  the  Genesee.  The  communication 
between  the  Erie  Canal  and  the  Genesee  River  is  now  being  much  im- 
proved by  an  arrangement  partly  connected  with  the  Genesee  Valley- 
Canal.  It  will  shortly  be  practicable  for  the  Erie  canal-boats  to  cross 
Genesee  River  without  reference  to  the  aqueduct,  a  matter  of  much 
consequence  ;  guarding  as  it  will  against  any  detention  of  navigation  in 
case  the  old  aqueduct  fails  before  the  new  one  is  completed.  The 
present  feeder  is  being  improved,  and  a  corresponding  cut  is  making 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river  as  far  south  as  the  feeder  dam,  say  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  Erie  Canal.  The  cut  on  the  west  side  of  the  river 
serves  as  part  of  the  Genesee  Valley  Canal ;  and  thus  both  canals  and 
the  river  navigation  south  of  Rochester  are  advantageously  connected 
by  means  that  secure  the  canal  navigation  from  interruption  in  case  of 
difficulty  about  the  aqueduct ;  a  policy  recommended  strongly  by  the 
citizens  in  1832-3  in  a  memorial  remonstrating  against  the  plans  for 
rebuilding  the  aqueduct  which  were  recommended  in  a  special  report 
from  the  canal  commissioners.  Although  the  Genesee  Valley  Canal 
will  probably  withdraw  the  business  chiefly  from  the  river  for  the  extent 
to  which  the  river  is  now  used,  the  navigation  of  the  latter  is  worthy  of 
notice  here.  The  river  boats  used  for  bringing  wheat  to  Rochester 
are,  we  believe,  owned  by  Mr.  Kempshall,  Mr.  Ely,  and  other  flour 
manufacturers.  William  Tone,  residmg  a  few  miles  south  of  the  city, 
owns  several  boats,  and  has  done  much  of  the  transportation.  Scots- 
ville,  York,  Avon,  Geneseo,  Moscow,  and  Mount  Morris,  all  have 
warehouses  to  accommodate  this  navigation  ;  and  large  quantities  of 
wheat  are  thus  brought  down  in  boats  alongside  the  Rochester  mills. 


Lake  Ontario  Navigation. 

The  first  steamboat  that  touched  at  the  port  of  Genesee  or  Roches- 
ter was  the    "Ontario,"  in  1817,  on  her  passages  between  Sackett's 
Harbour   and   Niagara  Falls.     The  Martha  Ogden  afterward   touched 
on  her  routes  up  and  down  the  lake.     For  a  few  years  past,  several  of 
30* 


354*  SKETCHES    OF    ROCIIESTEK,   ETC. 

the  best  steamboats  on  Lake  Ontario  have  regularly  touched  at  the  City 
of  Rochester,  affording  eligible  and  frequent  opportunilies  for  inter- 
course with  the  various  towns  on  the  British  and  American  shores  of 
Ontario.  Travellers  to  or  from  Niagara  Falls  may  now  have  their 
choice  of  conveyances  ;  by  canal  packets  or  lake  steamboats,  by  stages 
on  the  Ridge-Road,  or  by  railroad  between  Rochester  and  Batavia,  con- 
necting by  a  short  stage  with  Lockport,  where  a  raihoad  running  to  the 
falls  intersecls  others  running  to  Lewiston  and  Buffalo.  The  steam- 
boat United  States,  Capt.  Van  Clevc,  touches  regularly  at  Rochester 
on  her  passages  up  and  down  the  lake,  offering  facilities  to  travellers 
for  Quebec  or  Niagara  Falls,  &c.  The  steamboat  Traveller,  Capt. 
Sutherland,  plies  regularly  between  Rochester  and  the  Canadian  towns 
between  Coburg  and  Hamilton  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  including  the 
capital,  Toronto.  The  steamboat  Oswego,  and  two  or  three  others, 
have  usually  touched  regularly  on  their  passages  up  and  down  ;  but, 
owing  to  the  varying  arrangements,  we  wdl  only  add  that,  for  a  few 
seasons  past,  steamboats  have  arrived  and  departed  almost  daily  for  dif- 
ferent points  on  the  lake. 

A  railroad  from  the  Steamboat-Landing  at  the  port  of  Rochester,  at 
the  northern  line  of  the  city,  connects  business  and  travelling  with  the 
Erie  Canal  and  the  Tonnewanta  railroad  m  the  southern  part  of  the  city. 

The  first  warehouse  built  at  this  point  for  the  lake  trade  was  erected 
by  Levi  Ward,  Jr.,  Elisha  B.  Strong,  Levi  H.  Clarke,  and  Heman  Nor- 
ton ;  the  two  latter  now  reside  in  New-York.  It  yet  stands,  with  its 
inchned  plane  for  the  transit  of  goods  between  it  and  the  vessels  lying 
at  the  foot  of  the  steep  bank  whereon  it  is  located.  Capt.  John  T. 
Trowbridge,  now  of  Milwaukie,  and  John  W.  Trowbridge  and  Charles 
H.  Greene,  now  of  Oswego,  were  formerly  in  business  here  ;  but  the 
two  principal  warehouses  are  now  owned  by  Hooker,  Olmstead,  and 
Griffiths,  John  Thompson  being  agent. 

Li  1818  the  exports  from  the  Genesee  River  down  the  lake  to  Mon- 
treal market  during  the  season  of  navigation  were  26,000  bbls.  of 
flour,  3653  bbls.  pot  and  pearl  ashes,  1173  bbls.  pork,  190  bbls.  whiskey, 
214,000  double-butt  staves,  together  with  small  quantities  of  other 
articles,  all  valued  at  $380,000. 

In  IS  19  the  exports  in  the  same  way  amounted  to  23,648  bbls.  flour, 
8673  bbls.  pot  and  pearl  ashes,  1451  bbls.  pork,  500,000  staves,  50,000 
feet  square  timber,  which,  together  with  small  quantities  of  other  arti- 
cles, were  valued  at  $400,000. 

In  1820  the  exports  from  the  Genesee  River  for  the  Canada  market 
were  67.468  bbls.  flour,  5310  bbls.  pot  and  pearl  ashes,  2643  bbls. 
beef  and  pork,  709  bbls.  whiskey,  179,000  staves,  together  with  small 
quantities  of  corn,  oil,  lard,  ham,  butter,  cider,  &c.,  valued  at  $375,000. 
The  prices  of  produce  had  fallen  greatly  ;  the  general  price  of  flour 
was  $2  25  a  $2  50  per  bbl.  ;  of  wheat  37  cents  per  bushe! ;  and  corn 
from  20  to  25  cents. 

In  1821  the  price  of  produce  fell  so  low  in  Canada,  and  the  canal, 
partly  finished,  having  opened  other  and  better  markets,  the  quantity  of 
produce  sent  from  Genesee  River  to  the  Canada  market  became  so 
much  reduced,  that  farther  statements  are  not  made  in  the  account  from 
which  is  taken  the  notice  of  the  above  exports. 

The  attention  of  the  citizens,  withdrawn  to  too  great  an  extent  for 
some  years  from  the  subject  of  lake  navigation,  is  now  turning  strongly 


TRANSPORTATION    BUSINESS.  *355 

upon  its  importance  ;  and  well  it  may,  for  with  the  growth  of  the  coun- 
try along  the  shores  of  our  inland  seas  this  city  must  have  its  full  share 
of  benefits.  Whatever  improvements  are  made  at  the  rapids  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  or  around  the  Falls  of  Niagara  cannot  be  indifferent  to 
us — for  our  steamboats  and  schooners  may  thus  have  direct  intercourse 
between  Rochester  and  the  shores  of  the  upper  lakes,  or  with  the  cities 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  if  not  through  that  noble  river  to  the  Atlantic 
Ocean. 

In  1836  wheat  to  the  amount  of  200,000  bushels  was  imported  from 
Canada,  under  heavy  duties,  by  some  of  the  Rochester  dealers  in  that 
article. 

No  one  who  reflects  upon  the  subject  can  doubt  that  the  lake  trade 
will  prove,  ere  long,  far  more  beneficial  to  Rochester  than  the  superfi- 
cial observer  may  now  imagine. 

Canal  Transportation  Busmess. 

The  statements  already  presented  indicate  the  great  value  of  the 
transportation  business  to  the  people  of  Rochester. 

On  the  29th  of  October,  1822,  the  first  canal-boat  loaded  with  flour 
left  Hill's  Basin,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Genesee  in  Rochester,  for 
Little  Falls  on  the  Mohawk,  the  canal  being  then  navigable  no  farther 
eastward,  and  the  Rochester  Aqueduct  being  unfinished. 

In  the  first  ten  days  after  the  opening  of  navigation  in  the  spring  of 
1823,  10,000  bbls.  of  flour  were  shipped  from  Rochester  for  Albany 
and  New-York.  On  the  7th  of  October  in  the  same  year  the  canal 
aqueduct  across  the  Genesee  River  in  Rochester  was  completed  for 
navigation,  the  whole  work  upon  it  having  occupied  two  years  and  a 
quarter;  preparations  having  been  made  in  August,  1821,  by  William 
Britton,  assisted  by  30  convicts  from  the  Auburn  State  Prison,  although 
the  contractor  (Alfred  Hovey)  did  not  commence  the  erection  till  the 
17th  July,  1822.  The  opening  of  navigation  through  the  aqueduct 
was  celebrated  by  the  passage  of  various  boats,  escorted  by  the  mili- 
tary companies,  masonic  societies,  and  citizens  generally.  The  first 
boatload  of  flour  that  crossed  the  aqueduct  from  the  western  side  of 
Rochester  was  shipped  from  the  warehouse  of  Daniel  P.  Parker,  who 
received  the  first  consignment  of  merchandise  from  the  eastward  that 
crossed  the  aqueduct,  and  who  is  now  agent  at  New- York  for  the 
"  American  Transportation  Company." 

The  first  cargo  of  wheat  brought  to  Rochester  from  Ohio  was  in 
1831 — a  consignment  for  Hervey  Ely,  brought  by  the  old  Hudson  and 
Erie  Line,  an  arrival  worthy  of  notice  as  connected  with  the  grain 
trade. 

Owners  or  Agents  of  the  Transportation  Lines  at  Rochester. 
Clinton  Line — John  Allen  &  Co. 
Pilot  Line,  Trader's  Line,  Erie  S  American  )  -it-         -tier  •  u.  «    /-. 

and  Ohio  Lme,  Eagle  Line,    J  Trans.  Co.  \  ^""^"^  ^"g^*  ^  ^°- 
United  States  Line,  and  Troy  and  Erie  Line— W.  D.  Griffith  &  Co. 
Merchants'  Line — Hector  Hunter. 
W^ashington  Line — L.  Barker. 

New- York  and  Ohio  Line,  and  National  Line— Jas.  Chappell  &  Co. 
New- York  and  Michigan  Line — P.  P.  Peck  &  Co. 
Troy  and  Ohio  Line — Rufus  Meech. 


356*  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

Boston,  Albany,  and  Canal  Line — H.  Wright. 
New-York  and  Buffalo  Line — Campbell,  Peters  &  Co. 
Commercial  Line.  Telegraph  |     Western     >  ^    ^  ^  p 

Lme,  Transportation  Line  {  Trans.   Co.  ^  ^ 

New- York  and  Detroit  Line — Ezra  Carpenter. 
Troy  and  Michigan  Line — Tilley  and  Sidney  Allen. 
Union  Line — Hiram  Nash  &  Co. 
Rochester  Line — 


MANUFACTURES  AND  OTHER  BUSINESS  OF  ROCHESTER 

Preliminary  Notice. — Early  Millers  of  the  Genesee. 

The  extent  and  excellence  of  the  Rochester  flour  manufacture  hav- 
ing already  rendered  our  city  widely  celebrated,  some  curiosity  may  be 
felt  to  ascertain  the  origin  and  progress  of  a  branch  of  business  exerci- 
sing such  an  important  influence  on  the  wheat-growing  interests  of 
Western  New-York  and  the  adjoining  regions,  as  well  as  on  the  market 
for  breadstuffs  throughout  the  country. 

The  progress  of  improvement  may  be  pretty  accurately  conjectured 
from  the  history  of  nulling  operations  in  and  around  Rochester. 

We  have  already  stated  sundry  particulars  of  the  gift  from  the  In- 
dians to  Phelps  and  Gorham  of  a  tract  twelve  by  twenty-four  miles 
for  a  millyard  ;  that  one  hundred  acres  of  that  tract  were  bestowed  by 
Phelps  and  Gorham  upon  "Indian  Allen"  on  condition  that  a  mill 
should  be  erected  by  him  to  accommodate  the  few  settlers  then  moving 
into  this  region;  that  the  business  of  the  country  proving  insufficient  for 
its  support,"the  mill  became  ruinous,  and  the  title  of  the  land  passed 
from  Allen,  through  the  Pulteney  estate,  to  those  gentlemen  who,  in 
1812,  surveyed  the  lot  into  a  village  plot,  under  the  name  of  Rochester. 
In  conne.xion  with  this  recapitulation,  we  may  say  that,  when  the  In- 
dians beheld  the  mill  erected  by  Ahen,  and  reflected  on  the  quantity  of 
land  bestowed  for  a  millyard,  they  expressed  their  surprise,  but  did  not 
recall  the  gift.  "  Quo-ah  !"  was  their  long-drawn  exclamation  of  as- 
tonishment at  the  diminutive  size  of  the  buildmg  that  required  for  a 
"yard"  the  extensive  tract  secured  from  them  by  Mr.  Phelps  for  the 
purpose  ;  and  their  other  interjection,  KauskoncMcos  !  which  is  said  to 
be  the  Seneca  word  for  waterfall,  became  ever  after  the  Indian  name 
for  Mr.  Phelps.* 

The  "  White  Woman,"  well  knowm  to  the  early  settlers  of  the 
Genesee  country,  related  many  incidents  connected  with  "Indian  Al- 
len," throwing  light  on  the  condition  of  this  region  when  that  personage 
erected  the  first  gristmill  in  these  parts.  We  may  in  another  page 
quote  from  her  history  some  particulars  concerning  his  operations,  af- 
ter we  shall  have  noticed  the  statement  of  an  intelligent  English  trav- 
eller respecting  the  condition  of  the  rndl  built  by  Allen,  as  it  was  oc- 
cupied by  Col.   Fish  (Allen's  successor)  in   1800.     After  mentioning 

*  "  The  kindness  and  good  faith  with  which  Mr.  Phelps,  like  the  celebrated  Wm. 
Penn,  always  conducted  his  intercourse  with  the  Indians,  did  not  fail  to  secure  their 
confidence  and  aflTection,  in  token  of  which  they  adopted  both  him  arid  his  son  (Oliver 
L.  Phelps)  as  honorary  members  of  their  national  councils."— Peck's  Rochester  Di- 
rectory, 1827. 


EARLY    MILLERS    OF    THE    GENESEE.  *357 

that  there  was  no  barn  or  shelter  wherein  he  could  then  stable  his  horse 
on  the  tract  where  Rochester  now  stands,  Mr.  Maude  says, 

"  The  Main  or  Middle  Falls  are  ninety-six  feet  in  height.  The  Lower 
Falls  are  fifty-four  feet,*  being,  in  fact,  two  falls,  forming  a  pair  of  steps. 
Col.  Fish  remembers  these  falls  united  in  one  pitch,  which  makes  them 
differ  essentially  from  the  Middle  Falls,  for  in  one  case  the  rock  wears 
away  at  the  top,  and  in  the  other  at  the  bottom,  f  I  have  no  memo- 
randum of  the  height  of  the  Upper  Fall  at  Fish's  mill ;  it  is,  however,  the 
most  inconsiderable.  [This  refers  to  the  first  fall  or  rapid  near  the  site 
of  the  present  canal  aqueduct,  Fish's  or  Allen's  mill  having  occupied 
the  site  of  the  present  red  mill  (built  by  Rochester  I'.nd  Montgomery) 
between  the  mills  of  Thomas  Keinpshall  and  the  City  Mills  of  Joseph 
Strong.]  Some  day,  perhaps,  all  the  falls  will  be  united  in  one,  like 
that  of  Niagara.  Rattlesnakes  are  frequently  seen  at  these  falls.  I  now 
ascended  the  bank  at  the  Middle  Falls,  which  bank  is  in  some  places 
perpendicular,  and  joined  my  servant,  who  had  been  waiting  two  hours, 
and  had  began  to  fear  some  accident  had  befallen  me.  In  a  few  minutes 
I  joined  Col.  Fish  at  the  mill.  This  mill  was  built  in  1789  by  a  Mr. 
Allen,  called  Indian  Allen  from  his  long  residence  among  the  aborigines 
of  this  country,  who,  on  condition  of  buildnig  a  mill,  had  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  acres  adjoining  given  to  him  by  Mr.  Phelps,  the  mill  to  remain 
Allen's  property. 

"  The  gristmill  is  very  ill  constructed  ;  it  is  erected  too  near  the  bed 
of  the  river,  and  the  race  is  so  improperly  managed  that  it  is  dry  in 
summer,  and  liable  to  back  water  in  winter.  It  contains  but  one  pair 
of  stones,  made  from  the  stone  of  a  neighbouring  quarry,  and  which  is 
found  to  be  very  suitable  for  this  purpose.  This  mdl  is  not  at  present 
able  to  grind  more  than  ten  bushels  a  day  ;  were  it  in  good  order,  it 
would  grind  sixty.  This  was  the  first  mill  erected  in  the  Genesee 
country.  It  was  not  only  resorted  to  by  the  inhabitants  of  Bradloe, 
Caledonia,  Genesee  Landing,  &c.,  but  by  those  living  as  far  distant  as 
Canandarqua,  nearly  thirty  miles  eastward.  It  is  now  [1798 J  almost 
entirely  neglected,  in  consequence  of  being  so  much  out  of  repair  ;  and 
the  settlers  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  are  obliged  to  resort  to  the  mill 
at  Rundicut,  which  from  Bradloe  is  at  least  eighteen  miles,  besides 
having  a  river  to  cross. 

"The  sawmill  built  by  Allen  is  already  ruined  [1798].  Indian 
Allen,  soon  after  the  erection  of  these  mills,  sold  the  property  to  Mr. 
Ogden,  of  Newark,  New- Jersey,  who  resold  it  to  Captain  Williamson, 
the  present  possessor.     Captain  Wilhamson,  perceiving  the  value  of  this 

*  This  error  about  the  height  of  the  Lower  Falls  can  only  be  excused  by  the  fact 
that  even  at  a  later  day,  and  in  a  more  important  case,  misapprehensioii  was  so 
prevalent  that  even  Mr.  Je,sse  Hawley,  in  his  early  calculations  about  the  passage  of 
the  Erie  Canal  through  this  region,  spoke  of  these  falls  not  more  accurately.  The 
explanation  is  made  injustice  to  IMr.  Maude,  who  is  yet  living  in  England;  for  hia 
Journal,  published  in  London  in  182G,  bears  evidence  of  a  very  careful  as  well  as 
amiable  spirit  in  its  author.  Should  this  page  ever  meet  his  view,  he  may,  perhaps, 
with  an  account  of  the  present  condition  of  this  region  liefore  him,  pardon  us  for  men- 
tioning the  amusement  which  we  derived  from  the  annunciation  that  the  journal  of  his 
tour  through  this  then  wilderness  was  published  as  a  guide  to  travellers  visiting  the 
Falls  of  iSliagara  !  With  the  exception  of  the  "eternal  rush  of  waters,"  there  is  in- 
deed little  in  all  this  region  which  has  not  widely  changed  its  aspect. 

t  Ool.  Fish  must  have  perpetrated  a  "  fish  story"  upon  the  traveller.  This  alleged 
great  and  sudden  change  could  not  have  taken  place  as  reported.— See  Geological 
Sketches—"  Retrocessioa  of  the  Falls,"  &.«. 


358*  SKETCHES   OF    ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

property,  proposes  to  build  a  new  and  much  larger  mill  a  few  feet  higher 
than  the  present  one.  [Captain  Williamson,  as  agent  of  the  Piilteney 
estate,  sold  this  mill-lot  to  Rochester,  Carroll,  and  Fitzhugh,  in  J802.] 
It  will  he  then  out  of  the  way  of  ice  and  back  water ;  and,  by  taking  the 
race  from  a  more  favourable  part  of  the  river,  where,  in  the  driest  sea- 
sons, the  channel  has  six  feet  water  close  along  shore,  it  will  have  a 
neverfailing  supply  of  water  ;  and  as,  in  consequence  of  the  falls,  there 
must  be  a  portage  at  this  place,  the  race  is  to  serve  the  purpose  of  a 
canal,  not  only  to  float  logs  to  the  sawmills,  but  for  the  river-craft  to 
discharge  and  take  in  their  ladmg.  As  Col.  Fish,  the  miller,  had  not 
those  accommodations  which  I  expected,  not  even  a  stable,  I  was  obliged 
to  proceed  to  Mr.  King's,  at  the  Genesee  Landing,  where  I  got  a  good 
meal  on  wild-pigeons,  &c.  Mr.  King  is  the  only  respectable  settler  in 
this  township  (No.  1.  short  range),  in  which  there  are  at  present  twelve 
families,  four  of  whom  have  established  themselves  at  the  Landing" 
[now  called  Hanford's  Landing]. 

So  much  for  the  "  first  impressions"  of  men  and  manners  hereabout 
forty  years  ago,  as  descrihed  by  the  intelligent  European  above  men- 
tioned. That  traveller  is  probably  yet  living,  as  it  is  but  recently  that  a 
copy  of  his  "  Journal"  of  a  visit  to  Niagara,  printed  in  London  in  1826, 
from  notes  made  about  1800,  was  presented  by  him  to  the  Rochestei 
Athenaeum.  The  present  condition  of  the  country  which  he  described,- 
doubtless  with  much  fidelity,  would  now  present  to  him  an  aspect  altered 
as  it  were  by  enchantment. 

The  "  Allen  mill"  having  become  ruinous,  an  effort  was  made  by 
Charles  Harford  in  1807  to  remedy  the  inconvenience  experienced 
through  a  considerable  section  of  country  for  want  of  milling  facilities. 
A  small  mill  was  then  erected  on  the  site  of  what  have  since  been 
known  as  the  Phenix  mills  (formerly  owned  by  Francis  and  Mathew 
Brown,  Jr.,  now  occupied  by  Joseph  Field).  The  contrast  between 
Harford's  gristmill  and  the  excellent  flouring  establishments  for  which 
Rochester  is  now  celebrated  will  probably  excuse  a  brief  descrip- 
tion of  Its  peculiarities  by  one  of  the  "early  settlers."  Among  the 
notes  for  which  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Edwin  Scrantom,  it  is  stated  that 
"  the  main  wheel  was  a  tubwheel  ;  in  the  top  was  inserted  a  piece  of 
iron  called  the  spindle,  and  the  stone  that  run  rested  upon  it,  so  that,  in 
raising  and  lowering  the  stone  to  grind  coarse  or  fine,  the  whole  wheel 
(which  was  a  monster),  with  the  stone  upon  it,  had  to  be  raised  with 
the  bottom  timbers.  This  was  done  with  a  monstrous  lever  which  run 
the  whole  length  of  the  mill,  tapering  to  near  the  end,  which  was  man- 
aged by  a  leathern  strap  put  twice  around  and  fastened  to  the  timbers 
at  one  end,  while  at  the  other  end  hung  a  huge  stone.  The  bolt  was 
carried  from  a  screw  made  on  the  shaft  under  the  stone,  into  which  a 
wooden  cogged- wheel  was  geared,  in  manner  similar  to  an  old  pair  of 
swifts.  The  ground  meal,  as  it  ran  from  the  stone,  fell  upon  a  horizon- 
tal strap  about  six  inches  wide,  and  ran  over  a  wheel  at  the  far  end  of 
the  bolt.  This  strap  ran  in  a  box  on  the  upper  side,  and,  as  it  went 
over  the  wheel,  the  meal  was  emptied  into  a  spout  and  carried  into  the 
bolt.  In  grinding  corn  this  spout  was  removed,  and  the  meal  fell  into  a 
box  made  for  the  purpose.  The  bolt,  however,  had  to  go  constantly,  as 
the  science  of  millmaking  here  had  not  reached  that  very  important 
improvement  of  throwing  out  of  gear  such  machinery  as  is  not  wanted 
running.     But  that  was  to  me  then  a  charming  mill !     It  rumbled  and 


I 


EARLY    MILLERS    OF   THE    GENESEE.  *359 

rattled  like  thunder,  and  afforded  much  amusement  to  the  boys,  who,  like 
myself,  formerly  assisted  in  the  ponderous  operation  of '  hoisting  the  gate.' 
The  gate  hoisted  with  a  lever  similar  to  the  one  that  raised  the  stone  ; 
a  bag  of  heavy  weights  was  hung  to  it,  and  then  it  was  a  half  hour's 
job  for  a  man  to  hoist  it  alone  !  When  once  hoisted,  it  was  not  shut 
again  till  night,  the  stones  being  let  together  to  slop  the  mill  between 
grists  !"  The  primitive  simplicity  of  this  mill  was  in  accordance  with 
the  rude  improvements  of  the  time. 

Now  for  a  few  words  concerning  that  "  Indian  Allen"  whose  name 
has  been  used  occasionally  in  these  sketches  of  the  "  olden  time."  His 
proper  name  was  Ebenezer  Allen  ;  and  he  was  one  of  those  tory  blood- 
hounds who  leagued  with  the  savages  in  perpetrating  atrocities  upon 
his  countrymen  during  the  revolutionary  war.  A  single  instance  is  suf- 
ficiently illustrative  of  his  sanguinary  career.  While  prowling  with  his 
Indian  alhes  in  the  Susquehanna  Valley,  he  surprised  the  inmates  of  a 
dwelling  by  bursting  suddenly  upon  them  in  their  beds.  The  father, 
springing  up  to  defend  his  family,  was  killed  by  one  blow  of  Allen's 
tomahawk.  The  head  of  the  murdered  man  was  thrown  at  his  feeble 
wife,  from  whose  arms  the  infant  was  torn  and  dashed  to  death  before 
her  eyes  !  "  It  has  been  said,  though  I  will  not  relate  it  for  a  certain- 
ty," said  the  White  Woman,  "  that,  after  perpetrating  these  murders,  he 
opened  the  fire  and  buried  the  quivering  corpse  of  the  infant  beneath 
the  embers  !  And  I  have  often  heard  him  speak  of  the  transac- 
tions with  that  family  as  the  foulest  crimes  he  ever  committed." 
Allen  came  to  the  Genesee  country  in  the  latter  part  of  the  revolu- 
tionary war  ;  and  his  operations  betokened  that  his  character  combined 
the  lasciviousness  of  a  Turk  with  the  bloodthirstiness  of  a  savage. 
The  White  Woman  furnished  his  biography  in  a  chapter,*  the  cap- 
tion of  which  is  alone  sufficient  to  supply  a  tolerably  correct  outline 
of  his  movements  along  the  Genesee.  We  quote  that  caption,  merely 
adding  some  explanatory  words  ; — "  Life  of  Ebenezer  Allen,  a  tory — he 
comes  to  Gardow,  where  the  White  Woman  lived  among  the  Senecas 
with  her  husband  the  chief  Hiokatoo,  about  forty  miles  south  of  Ro- 
chester— his  intimacy  with  a  Nanticoke  squaw — her  husband's  jealousy 
and  cruelty  towards  her — Hiokatoo's  interference — Allen  supports  the 
Nanticoke— purchases  goods  at  Philadelphia,  and  brings  them  up  the 
Susquehanna  and  Tioga,  and  thence  to  the  Genesee  River — stops  the 
Indian  war,  or  rather  prevents  the  Indians  from  renewing  hostilities  soon 
after  the  revolution,  by  clandestinely  taking  one  of  their  wampum  belts 

*  The  work  here  referred  to  was  prepared  in  1823  by  James  E.  Seaver,  of  Genesee 
county,  under  the  direction  of  Daniel  W.  Bannister  and  other  gentlemen  who  were 
anxious  10  collect  and  jireserve  many  historical  facts  which  were  vividly  impressed 
on  her  memory,  before  the  pressure  of  years  and  sorrow  (and  an  eventful  life  wag 
hers  I)  should  have  impaired  the  accuracy  of  her  recollection.  The  book  is  entitled, 
"  A  Narrative  of  the  Life  of  Mary  Jemison,  who  was  taken  by  the  Indians  in  (he  year 
1755,  when  only  about  twelve  years  of  age,  and  has  continued  to  reside  among  them 
to  the  present  time— containing  an  account  of  the  murder  of  her  father  and  his  family 
— her  troubles  with  her  sons,  who  were  killed  in  feuds  among  themselves  or  with 
others-  barbarities  of  the  Indians  in  the  French  and  revolutionary  war— the  life  of 
Hiokatoo,  her  last  husband— his  exploits  against  the  Cherokees,  Catawbas.and  other 
southern  Indians — and  many  historical  facts  never  before  published.  Carefully  taken 
from  her  own  words,  November  29,  1823,"  &c.  The  book  was  published  in  1824  by 
James  D.  Bemis,  of  Canandaigua— one  of  the  earliest  printers  and  booksellers  in  the 
Genesee  country,  and  who  for  many  years  published  the  Ontario  Repository.  Peter 
Jemison,  the  young  Indian  who  lately  died  in  the  U.  S.  Navy  (an  assistant  surgeon), 
was  a  grandson  of  Mrs.  J.,  commonly  known  as  the  "  White  Woman."    _^ j 


360*  SKETCHES   OF   ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

to  an  American  officer,  and  assuring  him  that  the  Indians  were  friendly 
— his  troubles  with  ihe  Indians,  who,  though  they  observed  the  good 
faith  impHed  by  their  wampum,  persecuted  him  for  a  while  for  taking  such 
a  liberty — he  is  taken  and  carried  to  Quebec  by  the  British,  who  held  Fort 
Niagara  till  1795 — is  acquitted  of  the  alleged  offence  in  the  wampum 
affair,  in  which  the  British  at  Niagara  erinced  a  privity  to  the  designs 
of  the  Indians  by  capturing  and  attempting  to  punish  him  for  his  inter- 
ference— he  marries  a  squaw — goes  to  Pluladelphia — returns  to  Genesee 
with  a  store  of  goods,  which  he  bartered  with  the  Indians  for  ginseng 
and  furs — goes  to  fanning — moves  down  the  stream  now  called  Allen's 
Creek,  after  him,  on  which  Scotsville  is  now  situated,  near  its  junction 
with  Genesee  River — builds  mills  at  the  falls  where  Rochester  now  is 
— drowns  a  Dutchman  while  going  down  in  a  canoe  with  mill-irons — 
marries  a  white  wife — kills  an  old  man,  and  takes  his  young  wife  for  a 
concubine — moves  back  to  Mount  Morris — marries  a  third  wife,  and 
gets  another  concubine — receives  a  tract  of  land  from  the  Indians  for 
the  benefit  of  his  children — sends  his  children  to  other  stales  for  educa- 
tion— disposes  of  the  land  at  Mount  Morris — moves  to  Grand  River,  in 
Canada,  where  the  British  gave  him  a  tract  of  land — an  account  of  his 
cruelties,"  &c.  "  At  the  great  treaty  at  Big-tree,"  near  Geneseo,  in 
1797,  says  the  same  authority,  "  one  of  Allen's  daughters  claimed  the 
land  which  he  had  sold  to  Robert  Morris,"  as  it  was  designed  by  the 
Indians  for  their  benefit.  "  The  claim  was  examined  and  decided 
against  her,  in  favor  of  Ogden,  Trumbull,  and  Rogers,  who  were 
the  creditors  of  Robert  Morns.  Allen  died  at  the  Delaware  town 
on  the  river  De  Trench,  in  1814,"  adds  the  aged  chronicler,  "and 
left  two  white  widows  and  one  squaw,  with  a  number  of  children,  to  la- 
ment his  loss."  He  had  left  some  of  his  women  behind  when  he  re- 
moved from  Genesee  River  to  Canada.  Such  were  the  life  and  times 
of  THE  FIRST  MILLER  OF  THE  Genesee — such  the  personagc  who,  by 
building  a  small  and  temporary  mill  to  grind  the  grists  of  the  then  few 
settlers  in  this  region,  acquired  title  to  the  Hundred-acre  Tract  or 
Mill  Lot,  which,  more  than  twenty  years  afterward,  was  planned  for  a 
village  under  the  name  of  Rochester. 

Flour  Trade  of  Rochester. 

'*  Some  of  the  Rochester  mills,"  says  the  Traveller's  Guide,  pubhshed 
by  Davidson  of  Saratoga,  "  are  on  a  scale  of  magnitude  unsurpassed  in  the 
world  ;  all  are  considered  first  rate  in  the  perfection  of  their  machinery  ; 
and  so  effective  is  the  whole  flouring  apparatus,  that  there  are  several 
single  runs  of  stone  which  can  grind  (and  the  machinery  connected 
therewith  bolt  and  pack)  one  hundred  barrels  of  flour  per  day."  Although 
such  feats  may  be  done  by  extra  exertion,  we  care  less  for  the  reputa- 
tion resulting  from  them  than  we  do  for  the  quality  and  aggregate  quan- 
tity of  the  flour  passing  through  our  mills.  Such  is  the  character  and 
extensive  demand  for  the  article,  that,  besides  the  quantity  shipped  for 
foreign  countries,  the  Rochester  brands  may  be  seen  commonly  at  Que- 
bec and  Washington  ;  at  Montreal  and  New- York  ;  at  Hartford,  Con- 
cord, and  Bangor ;  at  Boston,  Charleston,  and  New-Orleans ;  from 
Passamaquoddy  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

There  are  now  within  the  City  of  Rochester  twenty  mills  (exclusive 
of  gristmills),  with  upward  of  ninety  runs  of  stone.     These  mills  are 


"*•■:    k, 


Tisshl: 


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FLOUR   TRADE.  *361 

capable  of  manufacturing  five  thousand  barrels  of  flour  daily,  and,  when 
in  full  operation,  require  about  twenty  thousand  bushels  of  wheat  daily. 
The  immense  consumption  of  the  raw  material  occasioned  by  such  an 
extensive  manufacture  furnishes  to  the  rich  wheat-growing  region  around 
Rochester  a  ready  market,  while  it  draws  considerable  supplies  from 
the  shores  of  Erie  and  Ontario.  Besides  the  wheat  drawn  from  the 
surrounding  country  and  from  Ohio,  some  of  the  Rochester  millers  im- 
ported from  Canada,  under  heavy  duties,  about  200,000  bushels  in  1836. 
In  the  year  ending  on  the  1st  of  August,  1835,  eighteen  mills  with  sev- 
enty-eight runs  manufactured  about  460,000  bbls.  tlour  ;  and  the  annual 
product,  with  the  late  improvements,  will  not,  probably,  in  seasons  of  fer- 
tility, &c.,  fall  far  short  of  six  hundred  thousand  barrels.  The  avidity 
with  which  mill  property  has  been  sought,  and  the  additions  made  to  it 
during  the  last  three  years,  indicate  clearly  the  strong  confidence  of  our 
citizens  in  its  permanent  worth. 

The  attention  excited  abroad  to  the  grain  and  flour  trade  of  Roches- 
ter has  occasioned  on  our  part  particular  inquiry  into  its  origin  and  prog- 
ress. We  hope  to  be  pardoned  for  the  liberty  we  take  in  acknowledging 
indebtedness  to  one  of  our  oldest  residents  and  most  enterprising  mer- 
chant-millers for  the  facts  imbodied  in  the  following  notes  on  the  his- 
tory of  our  staple  manufacture.  Hervey  Ely  is  the  gentleman  alluded 
to.  The  value  attached  to  the  history  of  the  grain  trade  of  the  Baltic, 
&c.,  indicates  that  there  are  many  others  than  political  economists  who 
may  be  interested  to  mark  the  progress  of  the  grain  and  flour  trade  in 
the  heart  of  the  wheat-growing  region  of  Western  New-York. 

Notes  on  the  Rochester  Flour  Trade. 

Some  of  the  flouring  establishments  are  situate  directly  upon  the  nav- 
igable waters  of  the  Erie  Canal,  with  machinery  so  adjusted  that  car- 
goes of  a  thousand  bushels  of  wheat  are  elevated  to  a  height  of  fifty 
feet  and  weighed  in  an  hour  and  a  half.  The  boats,  without  changing 
position,  in  a  similar  brief  period  receive  cargoes  of  flour  ;  and  thus,  at 
some  mills,  but  three  hours  are  consumed  in  unloading  a  cargo  of  wheat 
and  stowing  away  a  cargo  of  flour.  This,  with  the  facts  before  stated 
respecting  the  manufacture  of  the  article,  may  convey  some  idea  of  the 
admirable  machinery  of  the  Rochester  flouring  establishments. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  ten  of  the  largest  and  most  perfect  of  these 
flouring-mills,  which  may  safely  challenge  comparison  with  any  simi- 
lar establishments  on  earth  for  power,  strength,  and  effective  operation, 
were  erected  under  the  direction  of  Robert  M.  Dalzell,  of  this  city, 
who  has  exhibited  unrivalled  skill  and  untiring  zeal  in  this  department 
of  mechanics.  If  the  architect  of  palaces  be  worthy  of  notice  in  history, 
it  cannot  be  improper,  in  an  account  of  Rochester,  to  render  justice  to 
the  scientific  mechanic  whose  skill  has  largely  contributed  to  the  ce- 
lebrity of  its  staple  manufacture. 

No  flour  was  manufactured  here  till  1814,  when  a  few  hundred 
barrels  were  sent  to  the  troops  on  the  Niagara  frontier,  the  mill-power 
then  existing  being  applied  to  the  grists  for  the  supply  of  the  neighbour- 
hood. The  conclusion  of  the  war  with  England  in  1815  opened  our 
trade  with  Canada,  when  a  few  hundred  barrels  of  flour  were  manu- 
factured and  sent  from  Rochester  to  Montreal  and  other  ports  on  Lake 
Ontario  and  the  St.  Lawrence. 

31 


362*  sKETcnEs  of  Rochester,  etc. 

In  Iftlfi,  between  seven  and  eight  thousand  barrels  of  flour  were  sent 
from  Rochester  to  the  same  markets.  Since  that  time  the  manufacture 
of  the  article  in  Rochester  has  increased,  with  some  slight  fluctuations, 
in  a  pponietrical  ratio,  till  we  now  find  the  city  exporting  chiefly  by  the 
Erie  Canal  about  four  or  five  hundred  thousand  barrels  of  flour,  besides 
the  supply  manufactured  for  the  city  and  vicinity. 

Annexed  is  a  table  showing  the  annual  average  value  of  whkat, 
together  with  the  extreme  ranges  of  prices  since  1814,  when  Rochester 
was  first  known  as  a  market  for  that  commodity. 

1814  -         -     Average,  Si  25     -         -     Range,  $1   18|  to  1  31 

1815  -         -  

1816  - 
1817 
1818     - 
1819 
1820     - 
1821 
1822     - 
1823 
1824     - 
1825 
1826     - 
1827 
1828     - 
1829 
1830     - 
1831 
1832     - 
1833 
1834     - 
1835 
1836     - 
1837 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  table  that  the  great  staple  of  our 
state,  an  article  of  prime  necessity,  has  been  subject  to  extreme  fluctu- 
ations in  value ;  so  much  so  as  to  baffle  the  calculations  of  the  most 
experienced  and  sagacious.  We  see  the  value  of  a  bushel  of  wheat 
some  years  rated  at  six  or  eight  times  the  value  in  other  years.  It  may 
therefore  be  interesting  to  examine  some  of  the  causes  which  probably 
produced  these  extraordinary  fluctuations. 

Very  little  wheat  or  flour  was  sent  out  of  the  Genesee  country  till  after 
the  year  1815.  The  crop  that  year  was  short  in  this  quarter  and  in 
Canada  ;  but  it  did  not  affect  prices  till  the  following  spring  and  sum- 
mer, when  flour  was  sold  in  Rochester  for  four  weeks  at  fifteen  dollars 
per  barrel  I  Indian  corn  was  then  shipped  freely  from  Rochester  to  the 
Canadian  shore  of  Ontario,  and  commanded  ready  sale  at  York  (now 
Toronto)  for  three  dollars  per  bushel ! 

The  "cold  summer"'  of  1816  was  not  injurious  to  our  crop;  but  a 
demand  for  the  English  market  affected  prices  materially  during  the 
latter  part  of  that  year,  and  also  in  the  years  1817,  1818,  1828,  1829, 
and  1831.  The  crop  in  1828  in  the  Genesee  country  was  an  almost 
entire  failure  ;  but  being  nearly  or  quite  an  average  in  other  portions  of 


SI  25  - 

1  12i 

1  75  - 

1  53 

1  03  - 

92 

52  - 

-  40 

62}  - 

-  96 

92  - 

-  73 

59  - 

-  71 

93  - 

1  02 

84  - 

1  01 

99  - 

-  92 

80  - 

1  07 

1  48  - 

1  06 

'  1  18} 

1  121' 

2  50 

87r 

'  2  25 

1 

'  1  06 

56  ' 

1  31 

44  ' 

621 

33  ' 

50 

56  ' 

75 

75  ' 

1  31 

75  ' 

1  09 

50  ' 

92 

44  ' 

71 

62}' 

85 

72  ' 

1  44 

75  ' 

'  1  44 

69  ' 

'  1 

78  ' 

1  19 

84  ' 

1  12i 

75  ' 

1  06 

75  " 

87i 

75  " 

1  37i 

1  181' 

2  00 

1  38  ' 

2  15 

FLOUR   TRADE.  *363 

the  country,  Rochester  prices  would  not  have  advanced  near  the  close 
of  that  year  but  for  a  demand  from  England. 

It  is  well  known  that,  in  particular  districts  of  our  country,  there  has 
been  a  rapid  increase  of  cultivation  of  breadstuffs.  But  it  is  also  known 
that,  in  other  and  very  extensive  portions  of  our  country,  agricultural 
enterprise  has  been  turned  to  employments  yielding  better  profits  than 
grain-growing  in  those  regions.  Witness  the  extent  to  which  the  great 
southern  staple  has  lately  been  cultivated,  to  the  exclusion  in  a  great 
degree  of  wheat  and  other  grains.  This,  with  the  rapid  increase  of 
population,  d:c.,  were  the  leading  causes  of  the  high  prices  of  1835. 
[Might  not  the  prevalence  of  a  speculating  mania,  the  withdrawal  of 
considerable  labour  from  productive  employment,  and  the  expansion  of 
bank  issues,  be  particularly  included  among  the  causes  which  contribu- 
ted to  the  inflation  of  prices^] 

The  foregoing  causes,  combined  with  the  entire  failure  of  the  crop  in 
1836  east  of  the  mountains,  in  North  Carolina,  Virginia,  Maryland, 
Delaware,  and  Pennsylvania,  and  the  partial  failure  in  the  State  of  New- 
York,  fully  explain  the  causes  of  the  existence  of  high  prices  in  that 
year  and  in  1837. 

In  1323  canal  navigation  was  opened  without  interruption  from  Albany 
to  Rochester.  The  want  of  this  commercial  avenue  was  one  reason  of 
the  extreme  depression  of  prices  in  1820  and  1821  ;  but  the  effect  was 
chiefly  attributable  to  the  largely-increased  cultivation  of  wheat,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  stimulus  of  high  prices  during  the  four  preceding  years, 
together  with  the  luxuriant  crops  of  those  two  years  (1820  and  1821). 

The  crops  of  1825  and  1826  were  probably  the  most  abundant  for 
the  land  in  seed  which  have  been  known  since  the  settlement  of  the 
country. 

It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note,  in  relation  to  the  wheat  crop,  that,  in  sea- 
sons of  abundance,  its  quality  is  uniformly  superior  to  that  of  other 
years. 

It  is  often  said,  and  by  wise  men,  that  the  fluctuations  in  the  value 
of  breadstuffs  are  mainly  attributable  to  expansions  and  contractions  of 
the  currency.  The  changes  in  currency  have,  of  course,  considerable 
influence  ;  but  the  preceding  statements  indicate  the  presence  of  far 
more  powerful  causes — causes  which  cannot  entirely  be  controlled  by 
ordinary  human  invention. 

Although  it  might  be  expected  that  legislation  respecting  the  prices 
of  articles  of  absolute  necessity  like  grain  would  have  the  effect  of  pre- 
venting extravagant  fluctuations  in  the  marketable  value  of  such  articles, 
such  is  not  a  consequence  of  the  British  Corn  Laws.  Immense  fluctu- 
ations in  the  prices  of  grain  in  Great  Britain  have  had  considerable  in- 
fluence in  other  countries  from  which  that  empire  usually  seeks  supplies. 

With  the  exception  of  the  years  1835  and  1836,  it  appears  that  the 
high  prices  in  our  country  for  the  last  twenty  years  have  been  owing 
chiefly  to  the  demands  of  the  British  market.  And  the  fact  deserves 
notice,  that  the  greater  portion  of  the  shipments  from  this  to  that  coun- 
try in  the  above-mentioned  period  have  proved  disastrous,  owing  to  the 
pernicious  operation  of  the  Corn  Laws. 

From  the  perishable  nature  of  wheat,  when  collected  in  large  masses, 
it  is  unwise  for  capitalists  to  take  it  in  seasons  of  abundant  crops  and 
consequent  low  prices,  with  the  view  of  holding  it  till  a  deficient  crop 
or  an  unusual  foreign  demand  advances  the  prices.     One  remedy  sug- 


364*  SKETCHES   OP   ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

gests  itself,  as  simple  in  itself,  and  wortliy  of  adoption  in  some  extent, 
to  prevent  a  recurrence  of  the  extreme  depressions  experienced  in  1820, 
1821,  and  1826.  As  our  fanners  have  now  become  a  wealthy  class, 
and  are  not  forced  liy  necessity  to  sell  at  a  sacrifice,  it  is  believed  tliat 
tiiey  may  be  induced  to  adopt  the  plan,  which  is  this  :  to  retain  in  their 
own  hands  a  portion  of  each  abundant  crop  till  a  short  crop  here  or 
elsewhere  causes  an  advance  of  price,  and  enables  them  to  sell  at  a 
remunerating  rate.  This  course  would  enable  them  at  all  times  to  ob- 
tain fair  prices  for  their  crops,  and  would  diminish  the  hazard,  so  that 
the  purchasing  and  manufacturing  of  wheat  could  be  done  at  a  small 
profit. 

From  official  data,  it  is  found  that  the  exports  of  flour  and  wheat  from 
the  United  States  to  foreign  countries,  in  seasons  of  ordinary  produc- 
tiveness, do  not  essentially  vary  from  what  they  were  forty  years  ago. 
Taking  periods  of  five  years,  the  annual  average  shows  an  increase  of 
but  150,000  bhls.  per  annum.  This  fact  leads  to  an  inquiry  concern- 
ing the  dis])osition  made  of  the  vast  increase  of  breadstuff's  from  the 
wheat-growing  states.  The  progress  of  domestic  manufactures  will 
furnish  a  ready  solution.  New-England  consumes  the  greater  portion 
of  the  suq)lus  products  of  the  grain-growing  regions,  and  pays  for 
them  chiefly  through  the  profits  derived  from  the  sale  of  her  commod- 
ities in  the  cotton-growing  states.*  Thus  interlocked  are  the  various 
interests  of  the  dilferent  sections  of  the  Union. 

It  may  be  added,  in  conclusion,  that  comparisons  instituted  in  foreign 
markets  render  it  certain  that  nowhere  in  Europe,  save  perhaps  in 
a  small  district  of  Poland,  can  the  quality  of  the  wheat  produced  be 
placed  in  competition  with  the  staple  product  of  Western  New- York. 
And  it  is  an  essential  feature  of  our  wheat-growing  district,  that,  unlike 
some  regions  which  formerly  yielded  such  grain  finely  and  freely,  it  is 
rendered  inexhaustible  in  fertility  by  the  calcareous  substratum.  "  The 
alluvion  of  the  fetid  limestone  which  forms  its  base  is  peculiarly  adapted 
to  the  continued  production  of  superior  wheat,"  as  has  been  remarked 
by  a  well-known  personage.  "  Perhaps,  also,  the  moistness  of  the 
climate,  from  its  vicinity  to  the  great  lakes,  contributes  to  this  effect. 
It  is  said  that  a  chymical  analysis  of  Genesee  wheat  shows  it  to  con- 
tain more  saccharine  matter  than  that  of  the  southern  slates,  while  the 
latter  combines  with  a  larger  portion  of  water  in  the  composition  of 
bread.     This  may  serve  to  explain  why  southern  flour  is  more  agreeable 

*  A  paragraph  illustrative  of  this  point  hag  just  met  our  view  in  an  Albany  paper : 
"  Only  two  or  three  years  ago,  a  very  considerable  bet  was  tnade  that  New-England 
did  not  import  from  the  other  states  breadsluffs  equal  to  a  million  of  barrels.  We 
observe  by  the  official  statement  that  the  import  into  Boston  alone  in  1837  was, 

Of  Flour, 423,246  bbls. 

Bushels. 

Corn, 1,725,173 

Rye, 86,901 


1,812164 
Estimated  at  five  bushels  to  the  barrel,  would  be  362,433 

785,679 
"  The  supplies  sent  to  Boston  are  not  probably  greater  than  those  sent  t(  Connec- 
ticut, Rhode  Island,  Cape  Cod.  Nantucket,  New-Hampshire,  and  Maine.  The  export 
to  New-England  of  hreadstuffs  in  1837  was  probably  equal  to  a  million  and  a  half 
of  barrels,  which,  if  valued  at  the  low  price  of  six  dollars  a  barrel,  would  amount 
to  nine  millions  of  dollars." 


FLOUR   TRADE.  *365 

to  the  baker,  but  Genesee  to  the  eater,  when  they  come  into  competi- 
tion in  our  cities." 

As  a  matter  of  consequence  in  the  history  of  the  flour  manufacture, 
it  may  be  mentioned  that  the  flour  and  wheat  destroyed  by  the  mob  at 
New- York  on  the  13th  February,  1837,  belonged  chiefly  to  Rochester 
millers.  The  commodities  were  stored  for  sale  under  the  agency  of 
Messrs.  Hart  and  Herrick.  In  consequence  of  the  outrages  from 
which  they  had  suffered  loss,  the  millers  presented  to  the  Legislature  a 
memorial  praying  for  protection  against  further  calamities. 

"  A  portion  of  the  stock  of  flour  now  in  New- York,"  said  the  memorial,  "is  the 
property  of  your  memorialists  ;  and  from  the  character  of  our  business  and  the  posi- 
tion of  that  city,  we  necessarily  have  ahnost  constantly  large  stocks  of  flour  in  the 
warehouses  there;  it  being  made  ihe  dep6t  from  whence  supplies  are  purchased  and 
forwarded  to  the  different  ports  of  our  own  and  foreign  countries.  We  therefore 
pray  your  honourable  body  that  a  law  may  be  passed,  making  the  City  of  New- York, 
in  its  corporate  capacity,  responsible  to  the  owners  of  property  living  out  of  the 
city,  and  in  the  hands  of  commission  merchants  there,  for  any  and  all  losses  which 
may  arise  from  mobs  within  its  corporate  limits.  Or,  if  in  your  wisdom  its  provis- 
ions be  extended  to  the  destruction  of  all  properly,  and  a  like  provision  be  extended 
to  all  cities,  villages,  and  towns  in  the  state,  it  will  meet  our  cordial  approval. 

"  The  disasters  arising  from  the  elements,"  continued  the  memoralists,  "  we  can 
guard  against  by  ensurance ;  but  who  takes  risks  against  the  blind  passions  of  an 
infuriated  mob?  We  are  free  to  declare,  that,  had  such  a  law  as  we  now  ask  for 
been  in  existence  for  the  last  three  years,  that  city  would  have  been  spared  the  deep 
and  lasting  disgrace  of  its  riotous  tumults.  The  consideration  that  they  themselves 
were  to  pay  for  the  destruction  would  have  nerved  those  arms  for  defence  which,  to 


their  disgrace,  have  lain  palsied,  while  riot  after  rioi  has  spread  desolation  through 
their  streets." 

The  concluding  portion  of  the  memorial  rebutted  the  allegation 
which  formed  the  pretext  for  the  destruction  of  the  flour  at  New-York. 
The  importance  of  the  subject  will  justify  the  insertion  here  of  that 
portion  of  the  document : — 

"It  has  been  gravely  said  by  newspaper  editors,  who  might  have  known  better," 
said  the  memorial,  "  that  the  pre.sent  high  price  of  flour  is  the  result  of  combinations 
to  monopolize  the  article.  This  charge  we  declare  to  be  without  any  foxindation  in 
truth. 

"The  unexampled  destruction  of  the  wheat  crop  in  the  important  wheat  districts 
of  our  country  is  the  leading  and  primary  cause.  We  are  not  speculators  in  flour, 
but  its  manufacturers.  It  is  true,  had  we  consented  to  the  sale  of  our  flour  in  the 
autumn  at  serious  losses,  we  should  not  at  this  moment  have  property  there  at  haz- 
ard ;  but,  to  avoid  these  losse?,  we  have  been  compelled  to  raise  large  sums  of  money 
at  most  exorbitant  rates — even  present  prices  are  paying  us  short  of  a  reasonable 
and  moderate  profit  on  the  manufacture  of  the  article. 

"  As  the  manufacturers  of  the  leading  agricultural  staple  of  our  state,  we  appeal 
to  your  honourable  body  with  entire  confidence  in  your  wisdom,  and  disposition  to 
grant  us,  and,  through  us,  to  the  great  agricultural  interests  of  the  state,  protection 
for  our  property  from  destruction  by  mobs. 

"Hervey  Ely,  Mack  &  Paterson,  W.  Whitney  &  Co., 

"  Jas.  K.  Livingston,  Paterson  &  Avery,  Thomas  Kmerson, 

"  Meech,  Rice,  <k  Co.,  Woodbury  &  Scrantom,  Joseph  Strong, 

"  Chappell,  Carpenter,  &  Co.,    O.  E.  .fe  G.  A.  Gibbs,         H.  B.  Williams  &  Co., 
<'  Rich.  Richardson,  Charles  J.  Hill,  E.  S.  Beach, 

"Thomas  Kempshall,  Hooker  &  Co.,  E,  H.  S.  Mumf jrd. 

"  Rochetter,  February  21,  1837." 

31* 


366*  SKETCHES    OF   ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

As  the  history  of  Rochester  and  Western  New-York  must  ever  be 
intimately  associated  with  that  of  the  grain  and  flour  trade,  and  as 
some  statements  have  been  jnesentrd  respecting  the  prices  since  tlie 
origin  of  the  flour  manufacture  in  this  region,  it  may  not  be  deemed 
irrelevant  to  present  now  a  statement  of  the  flour  market  on  the  sea- 
board for  the  last  forty  years.  These  tables  will  be  useful  for  compar- 
ison ;  and  the  remarks  by  which  liie  latter  is  accompanied  will  show 
that  it  has  direct  reference  to  the  pretexts  assigned  for  the  destruction 
at  New- York  of  the  [iroperty  of  the  Rochester  Flour  Manufacturers. 

From  t/ie  Philadelphia  Pennsy Ivanian. — \S37 . 
"Pricb  of  Flour— CoMPARATivK  Tablk.— We  subjoin  a  highly  interesting 
table,  giving  a  comparative  view  of  the  price  of  Hour  in  this  city  for  the  first  three 
months  in  the  year  from  17'Jfi  to  the  present  time.  For  this  document  our  acknowl- 
edgments are  due  to  the  kindness  of  a  mercantile  friend,  by  whom  it  was  carefully 
and  accurately  prepared  from  authentic  data.  It  possesses  peculiar  interest  at  the 
present  moment,  sliowing,  a.s  il  does,  the  great  and  rapid  lluciuaiions  of  the  market, 
and  staling  the  fact  that,  at  periods  when  labour  did  not  obtain  more  than  half  the 
price  it  now  commands,  flour  has  sold  at  much  higher  prices  than  those  which  are 
now  complained  of.    In  1796,  for  instance,  it  sold  as  high  as  filleen  dollars  a  barrel. 

Prices  of  Flour/or  thefrst  three  months  of  (he  year  from  1796  to  1837  inclusive. 

Vara.                                                      Jinuarjf.  Frtnary.  March. 

1796 $12  00  13  50  15  IH) 

17'J7 10  00  in  00  10  00 

1798 8  20  8  60  8  50 

1799 9  50  9  50  9  25 

j^l 1150  1125  1150 

1802 7  00  7  00  7  00 

1803 6  50  -6  50  6  50 

1804 7  50  7  50  7  00 

1805 1100  12  25  13  00 

1806 7  50  7  50  7  00 

1807 8  50  7  50  7  50 

1808  (Embargo) 6  00  5  75  5  50 

1809  do 5  50  7  00  7  00 

(  In  July  and  August  ) 

1810<this  year  $11  and  >    7  75  8  00  8  25 
(              S12.             S 

1811 18  00  10  50  10  50 

1812(War)  10  50  10  12^  9  75 

1813  do 1100  10  00  9  50 

1814  do 9  25  8  25  8  00 

1815  do 8  00  8  00  7  75 

1816 9  00  9  00  8  00 

1817 13  50  13  75  14  25 

■  1818 10  00  10  75  10  50 

1819 9  00  8  75  10  50 

1820 6  00  5  50  5  00 

1821 4  00  4  00  3  75 

1822 6  25  6  25  6  25 

1823 7  00  6  75  7  00 

1824 6  00  6  00  6  12 

1825 4  87  5  12  5  12 

1826 4  75  4  62  4  50 

1827 5  75  6  00  5  75 

1828 5  OO  4  87  4  75- 

1829 8  50  8  25  8  00 

1830 4  62  4  50  4  50 

1831 6  12  6  25  7  00 

1832 5  50  5  50  5  50 

1833 5  75  5  00  5  50 

1834 5  25  5  00  5  87 

1835 4  87  5  00  5  00 

1836 6  50  6  62  6  75 

1837 11  00  11  00 


FLOUR   TRADE.  *367 

"While  on  this  subject  it  may  not  be  irrelevant  to  speak  of  the  errors  entertained 
by  many  as  to  the  iiour  trade  and  the  price  which  the  article  now  commands.  The 
advanced  rates  are  supposed  by  some— as  frightfully  shown  by  the  late  occurrences 
in  New- York— not  to  spring  from  natural  causes,  but  to  be  the  result  of  speculation  and 
combination.  This  is  a  serious  mistake.  The  failure  of  the  crop  has  been  great 
and  general.*  So  complete,  indeed,  have  been  the  disasters  to  agricultural  industry, 
that  foreign  wheat  is  sent  in  quantities  from  the  Atlantic  cities  many  miles  to  the 
west,  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  farmers  themselves  ;  and  the  price  of  wheat,  there- 
fore, is  such  that,  notwithstanding  tlie  importations,  the  miller,  even  selling  at  eleven 
dollars,  is  barely  able  to  secure  a  living  profit.  The  flour  in  the  cities  is  held,  not  by 
speculators,  but  by  the  agents  of  the  millers  living  in  the  interior,  that  being  the 
position  occupied  by  those  called  flour  merchants.  The  pro])erty  in  each  of  their 
storehouses,  so  far  from  belonging  to  them,  is  owned  probably  by  twenty,  thirty,  or 
forty  different  individuals  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  From  this,  it  is  evident 
that  the  attack  on  the  stores  of  Eli  Hart  and  Herrick,  in  New- York,  was  in  every 
respect  as  foolish  as  it  was  wicked.  They  did  not  suffer.  The  injury  arising  from 
the  destruction  of  the  flour  fell  upon  the  millers  in  the  country— the  real  owners  ; 
and  that  prices  should  immediately  have  advanced  in  New- York,  or  that  they  should 
continue  to  advance  there,  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  The  miller,  not  disposed  to 
place  Ills  property  at  the  mercy  of  a  mob,  will  naturally  seek  another  market,  or 
demand  an  increase  of  price  for  increased  risks.  Such  are  the  beneficial  eflects  of 
mobism." 

Memoranda. — About  the  year  1760,  the  flour  exported  from  the 
Colony  of  New-York  did  not  exceed  80,000  barrels  per  annum. 

After  mentioning  that  flour  was  the  main  article  of  export  from 
New- York  about  that  time  for  the  West  Indies,  Smith's  History  says, 
"  To  preserve  the  credit  of  this  important  branch  of  our  staples,  we 
have  a  good  law  appointing  officers  to  inspect  and  brand  every  cask  be- 
fore its  exportation." 

"The  wheat,  corn,  flour,  and  lumber  shipped  to  Lisbon  and  Ma- 
deira," it  is  stated  in  reference  to  the  same  period,  "  balance  the  Ma- 
deira wine  imported  here  (at  New- York)." 

After  the  revolution,  particular  pains  were  taken  to  raise  the  charac- 
ter of  the  flour  of  the  State  of  New- York.  The  Legislature,  in  1785, 
passed  a  law  requiring  rigid  inspection  of  flour ;  the  preamble  stating 
that  "  it  is  necessary  that  great  care  be  taken  to  preserve  the  reputation 
of  our  flour,  one  of  the  staple  commodities  of  this  state."  The  maker 
was  required  to  brand  on  his  name  and  the  weight  of  flour. 

The  wheat  and  flour  of  Western  New-York  were,  when  first  sent  to 
the  markets  on  the  seaboard,  acknowledged  promptly  to  be  of  superior 

*  The  extent  to  which  this  failure  affected  the  quantity  sent  to  the  seaboard  through 
the  Krie  Canal  was  thus  stated  by  the  Albany  Argus  ;— 

"  The  Wheat  Crops  of  1835  and  1836.— Assuming  that  the  wheat  crop  is  brought 
to  market  between  the  1st  of  September  and  the  31st  of  August,  and  the  following 
results  are  furnished  by  a  comparison  of  the  wheat  crop  of  1835  and  1836,  so  far 
as  the  comparison  can  be  made,  from  the  quantity  coming  from  the  Hudson  River  on 
the  Erie  Canal  in  each  of  the  years  referred  to,  viz. : — 

"  Statement  of  the  wheat  and  flour  left  at  Alhany  and  West  Troy. 
Bush.  Brls. 

From  1st  Sept.,  1835,  to  31st  Aug.,  1836 *,. 691,906  972,282 

From  1st  Sept.,  1836,  to  31st  Aug.,  1837 ...,..,..  .430,857  687,658 

Showing  a  decrease  of    231,049  284,620 

"  Estimating  five  bushels  of  wheat  to  a  barrel  of  flour,  and  the  following  results 
are  presented,  viz. : — 

Flour  coming  to  market  on  the  canal  from  the  crop  of  1835, 1,105,233  barrels. 

Flour  coming  to  market  on  the  canal  from  the  crop  of  1836, 773,829    do. 

Decrease,  331.404    do. 

"This  shows  a  decrease  of  the  crop  of  1836,  compared  with  that  of  1835,  equal  to 
1,655,000  bushels  of  wheat." 


368*  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

quality.  "  The  wheat  of  this  part  of  the  country  bears  the  highest 
price  in  the  New-York  market,"  says  a  traveller  in  1800,  "selling  for 
fourpence,  eightpence,  and  a  sliilling  per  bushel  more  than  the  North 
River  wheat,  which  is  reckoned  the  next  best." 

"  Mr.  Bartles's  flour,"  from  the  mills  on  Mud  Creek,  between  Bath  and 
Geneva,  in  1800,  "  was  esteemed  the  best  ever  inspected  in  Baltimore," 
to  which  city  it  was  floated  in  arks  through  the  Conhocton,  Tioga, 
Susquehanna,  and  Chesapeake. 

Rochester  Mills. 

Although  we  have  elsewhere  referred  to  the  fact,  we  may  repeat  in 
this  connexion,  preparatory  to  a  regular  account  of  the  Rochester 
Mills,  that,  in  the  year  1790,  a  mill  with  one  pair  of  stones  and  a  saw- 
mill were  erected  m  what  is  now  the  city  of  Rochester,  by  Ebcnezer 
Allen,  better  known  as  "  Indian  Allen,"  to  whom  the  "  Hundred-acre 
Tract"  was  given  by  Oliver  Phelps  on  condition  that  he  should  erect 
such  mills  for  the  accommodation  of  the  settlers  in  the  surrounding 
country.  [The  "  Hundred-acre  Tract"  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  City 
of  Rochester.  Having  passed  through  several  hands  into  the  posses- 
sion of  Nathaniel  Rochester,  William  Fiizhugh,  and  Charles  Carroll  in 
1802,  it  was  surveyed  into  a  village  plat  in  1812  under  the  name  of  the 
senior  proprietor,  which  it  now  bears.]  Allen  abandoned  these  mills  in 
a  few  years,  the  business  of  the  country  being  insufficient  to  keep  them 
in  repair.  The  site  was  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  at  the  first  fall, 
a  few  rods  north  of  the  Canal  Aqueduct ;  and  nearly  upon  it  now  stands 
the  red  mill  built  by  Rochester  and  Montgomery. 

In  1807,  a  mill  with  one  pair  of  stones  was  erected  by  Charles  Har- 
ford at  the  second  or  Main  Falls.  In  1812  it  was  purchased  by  Francis 
Brown  and  Company,  who  enlarged  it  to  three  pairs  of  stones,  and  im- 
proved it  for  the  manufacture  of  flour.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1818,  when  the  Phoenix  Mills,  with  four  pairs  of  stones,  were  erected  on 
the  ruins.  The  establishment  is  now  used  by  Joseph  Field,  and  owned 
by  William  and  John  James.  Built  of  stone,  61  by  102  feet — 2  stories 
in  front,  and  three  in  the  rear,  besides  lofts  and  basement.  See  a  view 
of  part  of  these  nulls  in  the  engraving  of  the  mills  of  H.  B.  Williams 
and  Company. 

In  1814,  Elisha  Ely,  Jos>iah  Bissell,  and  Hervey  Ely  erected  mills, 
with  four  pairs  of  stones,  for  manufacturing  flour,  at  the  first  falls.  This 
building,  after  having  been  disused  for  milling  for  several  years,  was 
fitted  up  for  various  mechanics,  and  called  the  "  Hydraulic  Building." 
It  was  destroyed  in  the  fire  of  the  4th  October,  1837. 

In  1817,  William  Atkinson  erected  the  mills  at  the  first  falls,  with 
three  pairs  of  stones,  now  owned  by  Meech,  Rice,  and  Company.  A 
partial  view  of  these  mills  is  given  in  the  engraving  of  Emerson's  Mills. 

In  the  same  year,  Elisha  B.  Strong,  Heman  Norton,  and  E.  Beach, 
erected  mills,  with  four  pairs  of  stones,  at  the  upper  step  of  the  Lower 
Falls.  These  mills,  lately  owned  by  Hooker,  Oimstead,  and  Griffiths 
(Hooker  and  Company),  are  now  owned  by  Ira  A.  Thurber  and  Com- 
pany (George  A.  Avery  and  Philip  Thurber).  The  adjoining  stone 
building,  now  occupied  as  a  Veneering  Mill  by  A.  Whipple,  is  yet 
owned,  with  much  of  the  water-power  at  these  falls,  by  Hooker  and 
Company.  This  stone  building  is  about  30  by  40  feet,  and  about  100 
feet  high  from  the  edge  of  the  river  ;  it  is  calculated  for  a  flouring  mill. 
The  other  building  is  of  wood,  with  two  basement  stories  of  stone. 


ROCHESTER   MILLS.  *369 

In  1813,  Palmer  Cleveland  erected  the  mills  at  the  second  or  Middle 
Falls,  on  the  east  bank,  afterward  owned  by  Abelard  Reynolds.  These 
mills  are  now  owned  by  Orrin  E.  and  George  A.  Gibbs,  by  whom  the 
building  has  been  enlarged,  and  the  runs  of  stones  increased  from  three 
to  five.  Built  of  stone;  62  1-2  feet  long  and  52  wide;  four  stories 
high,  besides  attic — and  having  a  wooden  building  appended,  1  1-2  stories 
high,  and  66  by  38  feet.  These  mills  stand  near  the  brink  at  the  eastern 
side  of  the  main  precipice  over  which  the  river  dashes,  as  may  be  seen 
by  reference  to  the  "  Second  View"  of  the  Main  Falls  included  in  this 
work. 

In  1821,  Thomas  H.  Rochester  and  Harvey  Montgomery  erected  the 
mills,  with  three  pairs  of  stones,  on  the  site  of  the  mill  built  by  "  Indian 
Allen."  They  are  now  owned  by  Chappell,  Carpenter,  &  Co.,  and 
lie  between  the  mills  of  Joseph  Strong  and  Thomas  Kempshall. 

In  the  same  year,  Hervey  Ely  erected  the  mills,  with  four  pairs  of 
stones,  at  the  first  falls,  now  owned  by  Elbert  W.  Scrantom.  These 
mills  were  burnt  in  1831,  and  rebuilt  of  stone  the  same  year.  Front  on 
Water-street,  rear  on  the  river. 

In  1826,  Elias  Shelmire  erected  a  mill  at  the  first  falls,  with  two  pairs 
of  stones — enlarged  by  Benj.  Campbell  to  four  pairs  of  stones — burnt  in 
1833 — rebuilt  the  same  year.  In  1836  these  mills  were  taken  down 
by  order  of  the  canal  commissioners,  to  make  room  for  the  new  aqueduct. 

In  1827,  E.  S.  Beach,  T.  Kempshall,  and  Henry  Kennedy  erected 
mills,  with  ten  pairs  of  stones,  at  the  first  falls.  These  mills  are  now 
owned  by  Thomas  Kempshall.  The  stone  part  of  these  mills  is  105  feet 
long  and  76  wide,  six  stories  high,  besides  grinding-floor  and  attic  ; 
wooden  part  50  feet  by  75,  four  stories  high,  with  a  wing  projecting 
over  the  street  and  canal  basin  65  by  40  feet,  and  four  stories  high. 
The  part  which  projects  over  the  basin  is  not  seen  in  the  engraving — 
and  the  aqueduct  hides  some  of  the  lower  part  of  the  main  building. 

Same  year,  Warham  Whitney  erected  his  mills  at  the  second  falls, 
with  five  pairs  of  stones.  These  mills  are  built  of  stone,  and  front  on 
Brown's  race,  with  rear  on  the  river.  The  present  firm  is  W.  Whitney 
&  Co.  (John  Williams). 

Same  year,  Silas  O.  Smith  converted  the  old  cotton  factory  on 
Brown's  race,  at  the  second  or  Middle  Falls,  into  mills,  with  eight  pairs 
of  stones.  Seventy  feet  front,  48  feet  deep,  three  stories  high — wood, 
with  a  brick  front,  partly  shown  in  the  view  of  Richardson's  mills. 

Same  year,  F.  Babcock  erected  mills,  with  four  pairs  of  stones,  at  the 
upper  step  of  the  Lower  Falls  ;  now  owned  by  Charles  J.  Hill.  Built 
of  wood  and  stone  ;  basement  of  stone,  two  stories,  and  superstructure 
of  wood,  three  stories,  besides  attic. 

In  1828,  Hervey  Ely  erected  his  mills,  with  nine  pairs  of  stones,  at  the 
first  falls,  adjoining  the  eastern  end  of  the  great  canal  aqueduct — the 
Erie  Canal  being  on  the  north  and  east  sides  of  the  building,  and  the 
river  in  the  rear.  A  bridge  across  the  canal  connects  these  mills  with 
St.  Paul's-street.  The  main  stone  building  is  78  feet  long  and  50  wide, 
five  stories  high  on  the  river,  three  stories  on  the  canal,  besides  attic  ; 
and  the  wooden  building  attached  is  68  feet  long,  40  feet  wide,  and  four 
stories  high.  The  old  aqueduct  connects  with  the  east  bank  of  the 
river  on  the  north  side  of  these  mills — the  new  aqueduct  will  connect 
on  the  south  side  of  them. 

In  1831,  Erasmus  D.  Smith  erected  at  the  first  falls  the  mills,  with 


370*  SKETCHES    OP   ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

five  pairs  of  stones,  now  owned  by  Joseph  Strong.  They  are  between 
the  aqueduct  and  the  main  bridge — front  on  Child's  Canal-basin  and  rear 
on  the  river.  These  mills  are  107  feet  long,  of  which  37  feet  is  wood, 
and  50  feet  wide,  four  stories  high,  beside  attic  and  basement  grinding- 
floor. 

Same  year,  H.  P.  Smith  erected  the  mills  at  the  second  falls  with 
three  pairs  of  stones,  lately  owned  by  Paterson  and  Avery,  and  now 
owned  by  Elias  and  Edwin  Avery.  They  are  35  feet  front,  60  feet 
•wide,  and  the  rear  wall  is  144  feet  high.  They  front  on  Brown's  race, 
with  rear  on  the  river. 

In  1835,  James  K.  Livingston  erected  the  mills,  with  four  pairs  of 
stones,  now  owned  by  Richard  Richardson,  at  the  second  falls — fronting 
on  Brown's  race,  with  rear  on  the  river.  Stone  building,  47  feet  front, 
85  feet  deep,  four  stories  high,  beside  attic  and  basement. 

Same  year,  Thomas  Emerson  and  Jacob  Graves  erected  at  the  first 
falls  the  mills,  with  six  pairs  of  stones,  now  owned  by  Thomas  Emerson. 
Built  of  stone,  front  somewhat  crescent-shaped — 100  feet  long,  50  feet 
wide,  six  stories  high  from  the  river,  besides  attic  and  basement.  Front 
on  Water-street,  rear  on  the  river,  a  few  rods  north  of  the  east  end  of 
the  aqueduct. 

In  1836,  Henry  B.  Williams  erected  his  mills  at  the  second  falls, 
with  four  pairs  of  stones.  The  firm  is  now  H.  B.  Williams  &  Co.  (E.  S. 
Beach  and  John  H.  Beach).  These  mills  front  on  Brown's  race,  with 
rear  on  the  river.  They  are  built  of  stone,  four  stories  besides  attic 
and  grinding-floor — 54  fi-et  front,  59  feet  roar,  and  72  feet  deep. 

Same  year.  Mack  and  Paterson  erected  the  mills  at  the  second  falls, 
with  four  pairs  of  stones  ;  front  on  Brown's  race,  and  rear  on  the  river. 
They  are  built  of  stone,  45  feet  front,  108  feet  long;  showing  in  front 
three  stories  and  attic,  but  having  below  two  floors  for  grinding,  &c., 
the  lowest  floor  being  42  feet  above  the  foundation  of  the  rear  wall. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  there  are  severel  establishments  designed 
partly  for  flouring  and  partly  for  custom-work — such  as  the  City  Grist- 
mills of  Henry  L.  Achilles,  fronting  on  Brown's  race,  with  rear  on  the 
river — the  mill  of  Curtis,  Leonard,  <5c  Co.,  corner  of  Main  and  Water 
streets,  leased  to  C.  V.  D.  Cook  &  Co.  A  custom-mill  belonging  to  Jo- 
seph Strong,  and  leased  by  R.  Bemish,  was  burnt  with  the  Hydraulic 
Building,  oilmill,  &c.,  in  1837.  The  mill  of  Gardiner  M'Cracken,  east 
side  of  the  Lower  Falls,  has  been  converted  into  a  paper-mill,  and  leased 
to  Messrs.  Foley  &  Co. 

Several  gentlemen  who  reside  in  the  city  are  interested  in  the  flour- 
ing business  in  some  neighbouring  places  ;  such  as  James  K.  Living- 
ston, whose  mills  are  at  Irondequoit  Falls,  in  Penfield,  &c. 

Technically,  a  mill  is  one  waterwheel  with  its  machinery.  The  term 
mills  is  used  where  two  or  more  waterwheels  are  in  the  building. 

The  attics  and  basements  are  mentioned,  because,  in  most  of  the 
manufacturing  edifices  of  Rochester,  machinery  is  employed  in  those 
parts,  owing  to  the  demand  for  hydraulic  power  increasing  faster  thaq 
suitable  buildings  are  erected. 


OTHER   BRANCHES   OF   BUSINESS.  *371 


Other  hranches  of  Business,  and  Names  of  Persons  carrying 
them  on. 
(In  addition  to  the  trades  and  professions  already  named,  under  various  heads.) 
Carpet  Factory. — The  time  is  probably  not  far  distant  when  the  city  of  Rochester 
will  become  as  celebrated  for  its  carpeting  as  Kidderminster  or  Paisley.  The  success 
with  which  the  business  of  carpet-weaving  has  been  pursued  here,  notwithstanding 
the  disastrous  effects  of  the  fire  which  destroyed  the  first  factory  in  the  Globe  Build- 
ings, renders  the  matter  peculiarly  worthy  of  the  attention  of  all  who  duly  appreciate 
our  local  prosperity  or  the  success  of  domestic  manufactures.  The  carpet  business 
was  commenced  in  Rochester  by  Messrs.  Newell  and  Stebbins  in  1832,  and  continued 
by  them,  with  e.xcellent  prospects  of  success,  till  their  establishment  was  wholly 
destroyed  by  the  great  fire  at  the  Globe  Buildings  early  in  1834.  The  machinery 
having  been  all  burnt,  the  business  was  interrupted  till  December,  1835,  when  a 
similar  manufactory  was  established  by  Mr.  Erasmus  D.  Smith  and  others.  This  es- 
tablishment was  sold  in  1837  to  Messrs.  William  Kidd  and  Thomas  J.  Paterson,  by 
whom  the  business  (greatly  extended)  is  now  carried  on.  Two  large  establishments 
are  employed  in  different  branches  of  business  connected  with  the  carpet  manufacture : 
one  of  these  buildings  is  the  brick  factory  (leased  from  Christopher  H.  Graham)  at 
the  Lower  Falls,  where  the  yarn  is  prepared  from  the  wool ;  the  other  building,  in 
which  the  weaving  and  dying  are  carried  on,  is  near  Selye's  fire-engine  factory  at  the 
Middle  Falls.  The  whole  establishment  contains  2  looms  for  Venetian  carpeting,  8 
looms  for  fine  and  10  for  superfine  Scotch  carpeting.  With  these  20  looms  about  40 
hands  are  steadily  employed.  The  present  consumption  of  wool  is  at  the  annual  rate 
of  about  90,000  lbs.,  worth  about  $25,000  ;  which  produces  about  45,000  yards  of  fin- 
ished carpeting,  worth  about  $50,000.  Besides  this,  farmers  in  the  vicinity  and  sur- 
rounding counties  are  supplied  here  to  a  considerable  extent  with  carpets  died  and 
wove  from  their  own  yarn.  The  proprietors  have  been  careful  to  select  skilful  Scotch 
weavers  and  dyers  ;  and  their  efforts  to  have  colours,  quality,  and  patterns  equal  to 
the  best  ever  shown  in  our  markets,  are  eminently  successful.  They  contemplate  en- 
larging their  present  numberof  looms,  with  the  view  that  three-ply  or  imperial  carpels 
and  rugs  of  superior  quality  may  give  greater  variety  to  the  productions  of  this  inter- 
esting establishment. 

The  true  friends  of  domestic  manufactures  will  not  require  to  be  -urged  to  bestow 
on  this  and  all  similar  establishments  that  notice  and  patronage  of  which  they  are 
deserving.  Yet  there  are  hundreds,  ay,  thousands,  in  and  about  Rochester  who  are 
apparently  unconscious  or  careless  of  the  efforts  made  to  establish  this  and  other 
equally  advantageous  branches  of  business  among  us— hundreds  and  thousands,  too, 
who  profess  great  zeal  for  the  prosperity  of  manufactures  and  the  growth  of  the  city .' 
The  excellence  of  colour,  figure,  and  material,  which  have  been  steadily  aimed  at, 
have  established  the  character  of  the  Rochester  carpeting  not  merely  in  the  surround- 
ing region,  but  in  the  New- York  and  Albany  markets.  Orders  to  a  considerable 
extent  are  constantly  filling  for  those  cities ;  and  notwithstanding  the  temporary  dis- 
couragements of  the  times,  the  steadiness  of  the  demand  furnishes  convincing  proof 
that  the  enterprising  spirit  which  established  and  continued  this  manufacture  was 
■well-directed,  as  we  trust  it  will  be  handsomely  rewarded  by  the  results  which  should 
ever  follow  industry  and  capital  rightly  employed. 

Cloth  Factories,  Woollen — The  principal  woollen  factory,  lately  owned  by  Edmund 
and  Hervey  Lyon,  was  burnt  soon  after  it  was  purchased  by  a  company  that  intended 
to  prosecute  the  business  very  extensively.  The  ruined  building  has  been  bought  by 
E.  Lyon  and  Joseph  Field,  and  will  soon  be  rebuilt.  It  was  a  valuable  establishment 
to  the  city.  The  woollen  factories  now  in  operation  are  that  of  Horatio  N.  ('urtiss — 
that  of  Henry  B.  Coleman— that  of  Chester  Cook  and  Silas  Pierce— besides  the  cloth- 
dressing  and  wool-carding  establishments  of  Calvin  Lewis  &  Co. 

Firearms. — The  excellence  of  the  Rochester  rifles  is  becoming  so  generally  known 
as  to  enlarge  greatly  the  demand  for  the  article.  The  work  turned  out  from  the  fac- 
tories of  Joseph  Medbery,  Ephraim  Gilbert,  and  J.  &  J.  Miller,  is  certainly  creditable 
to  those  manufacturers  and  to  the  mechanics  of  the  city.  The  Messrs.  Miller  are  pa- 
tentees of  the  seven-shot  rifle  and  pistol,  for  which  frequent  orders  are  received,  from 
the  south  particularly. 

Fire-Engines— While  Rochester  can  thus  furnish  the  southerners  with  the  means 
of  keeping  up  a  brisk  Jire  against  the  Seminoles  and  Mexicans,  engines  and  hy- 
draulions  can  be  furnished  from  her  workshops  to  protect  half  the  towns  in  the  land 
against  the  ravages  of  the  "devouring  element."  Sdye's  Ftre-Engine  Factory  is 
not  only  supplying  many  of  the  towns  even  unto  the  "Far  West,"  but  is  actually 
making  headway  eastward  against  the  competition  of  older  establishments  in  the  at- 


372*  SKETCHES    OF   ROCHESTER,  ETC. 

lantic  cities.  Several  of  the  Rochester  engines  have  been  bought  in  the  city  of 
Schenectady,  in  Columbia  county,  &c.  The  corporation  of  Schenectady,  having  pre- 
vioUHly  tcsteil  the  excellence  of  Si-lye's  niaclHnes,  formally  resolved  (hat  they  were 
"  bf8l  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  city,  on  account  of  iX\e facility  with  u-litch  they 
throiv  water  and  the  perfect  ease  with  which  they  are  kept  iii  repair  ;  so  that  m  ei^cnj 
emergency,  ihey  (the  Rochester  engines)  can  be  relied  vpon  wiih  entire  confidence.'' 
(Vide  Schenectady  papers  of  February  lOlh,  1636  )  A  compliment,  equally  handsome 
and  well  deserved,  to  the  ingenuity  and  enlerprise  of  our  townsman,  Luwih  Skia'k, 
who  lias  established  this  and  other  brunches  of  business  through  the  force  of  his 
own  skill  and  |)cr.severance,  unaided  by  any  slock  companies  or  capitalists.  This 
fire-engine  laclory  has  recently  completed  an  order  for  ten  of  ihe  best  quality  of 
engines  for  the  United  States  (Jovernmeiil— lo  be  distribuicd  among  the  fortifications 
on  the  Atlantic  and  westward.  Those  who  reflect  on  the  value  of  such  manufac- 
tures to  the  city  of  Rochester  will  excuse  the  length  of  this  notice.  One  such  fac- 
tory as  either  of  those  above  mentioned  contributes  more  lo  the  solid  wealth  of  a 
place  than  would  several  wholesale  stores— owing  to  Ihe  greatly  increased  valiie 
placed  by  labour  on  the  raw  material,  and  the  consequent  ability  to  sustain  a  large 
portion  of  industrious  population  without  the  use  of  so  much  capital. 

Tanneries — The  establishment  of  Jacob  Graves  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  per- 
fect in  the  slate.  All  the  buildings  shown  in  the  accompanying  engraving  are  used 
for  the  business,  liuilt  of  stone  chiclly,  the  remainder  of  brick.  The  tannery  of 
P.  \V.  Jennings  and  Rul'us  Keeler  adjoins  that  of  Mr.  Graves. 

Mnroceo-drcsscrs  and  irooZ-mercAnnts— Errickson  &.  Parsons,  Edward  Roggcn. 

Paper-making. — Gilman  and  Sibley  established  a  paper-mill  in  1819,  which  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Everard  Peck,  and  was  burnt  several  years  ago.  The  business 
wasdisconlinue<l ;  but  a  new  start  ha.s  been  made  in  it  by  P.  Foley  &.  Co.,  who  have 
leased  and  altered  for  the  purpose  ihe  tlouriiig-mill  of  l)r.  M'Cracken,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Lower  Falls,  in  the  second  ward.  From  the  copious  supply  of  good  water 
there  obtained  from  springs,  and  from  the  goodness  of  the  machinery,  there  is  reason 
to  believe  that  this  will  become  a  valuable  branch  of  business.  A  paper  warehouse  is 
established  in  the  city  by  Everard  Peck  and  William  Ailing. 

Piano  Manufactory— Among  the  valuable  branches  of  business  recently  intro- 
duced, the  manufacture  of  pianos  is  deserving  of  jiarticular  notice.  N.  Hinoiiam 
has  the  merit  of  having,  by  his  skill  and  enterprise,  brought  this  business  to  such 
perfection,  that  the  Rochosier  pianos  may  bear  comparison  with  the  best  thai  are  made 
elsewhere  The  increasing  wealth  and  improving  taste  of  llie  peo|ile  of  the  sur- 
rounding country,  as  well  as  of  the  city,  furnish  encouraging  evidence  to  the  worthy 
manufacturer  that  ihe  lone  and  construction  of  his  instruments  are  becoming  properly 
appreciated  throughout  this  region.  'Ihe  pianos  from  this  establishment  are  on  the 
niosi  approved  plans,  and  sales  have  been  made  of  some  worth  between  four  and  five 
hundred  dollars.  The  manufactory  is  on  Monroe-street,  near  Alexander-slreet— and 
B.  C,  Brown  is  agcni  for  the  sale  of  instruments,  at  the  corner  of  State  and  Buffalo 
streets. 

Veneering — our  native  woods,  Sc. — The  black  walnut,  curled  and  binlseye  maple, 
&c.,  of  which  abundant  supplies  are  found  in  clearing  our  rich  soils,  are  rapidly  ad- 
vancing in  public  estimation,  in  this  country  as  well  as  in  Europe.  Their  very  com- 
monness in  this  country  is  probably  the  chief  reason  why  they  have  not  been  more 
highly  esteemed  among  us  at  an  earlier  period.  Far-fetched  and  dear-bought  articles 
are  too  frequently  preferred  by  fashion  to  the  belter  and  cheaper  commodities  fur- 
nished now,  or  which  can  be  fUrnished,  by  our  native  land  and  by  our  own  neigh- 
bours. The  increasing  demand  lor  the  variety  of  American  fancy  woods,  and  the 
fact  that  the  trees  grow  only  in  Ihe  rich  soils  usually  first  cleared  and  tilled,  must 
soon  enhance  the  price  of  those  articles  to  rales  resembling  those  of  foreign  growth. 
The  establishment  of  A.  Whipple  &  Co.,  for  sawing  and  preparing  veneers,  is  a 
striking  evidence  of  intelligent  enterprise  on  the  part  of  the  manufacturers  and  the 
capitalist  who  has  aided  the  undertaking  by  his  wealth — the  manufacturers  being  not 
only  self-taught  in  the  business,  but  having  constructed  their  e.vcellent  machinery 
wholly  themselves,  as  well  as  personally  disposed  of  some  specimens  of  their  work, 
and  made  coniracls  for  regularly  supplying  London.  Dublin,  Edinburgh,  Paris,  and 
other  foreign  titles.  The  veneering-iiull  is  a  new  and  large  stone  building,  between 
the  flouring-mills  of  Hooker  &  Co.  and  those  of  Charles  J.  Hill,  at  the  Lower  falls, 
jn  the  fifth  ward. 

Sawmills — Ball's  sawmill  and  Griffith's  sawmill,  both  run  by  John  Biden,  Jr. ; 
Julius  Andrews,  S.  C.  Jones  and  Brother,  Russel  Tornlinson,  Bassett  &  Underbill, 
and  M.  Pound.  There  are  now  but  seven  sawmills,  three  having  been  taken  away 
to  give  place  to  the  new  aqueduct.  There  are  other  dealers  in  lumber  besides  those 
who  run  the  sawmills,  such  as  Almon  Bronson,  N.  Osborn,  &c. 


OTHER   BRANCHES   OF   BUSINESS.  *373 

Dry  Goods  Stores— John  C.  Ackley ;  Amos  B.  Auckland ;  Edward  Bardwell ;  Ste- 
phen B.  Bentley  and  Azel  B.  Brown  ;  Hiram  Blaiuhard  ;  George  Bartholick  ;  J.  G. 
Billings  and  J.  P.  Bixford;  Sylvester  Brown  and  C.  II.  Mason;  John  Caldwell ;  Timo- 
thy Chapman  ;  Artemas  Doane  and  James  H.  Wild  ;  John  Dunn  ;  James  P.  Dawson  ; 
Walter  S.  Griffith;  John  Gilford;  Simon  P.  W.  Howe;  George  Harwood  ;  James 
Jameson;  William  Kidd  &  Co.;  N.  S.  Kendrick;  Mitchell  Loder  and  J.  P.  Britlin; 
Heman  Loomis;  William  M'Knight ;  Jared  Newell,  Albert  C.  Newell,  and  William 
H.  Thomas ;  Thos.  J.  Paterson,  B.  L.  Souillard,  and  James  Miller ;  Levi  W.  Sibley, 
Edwin  Scrantom,  and  George  A.  Sibley  ;  Humphrey  B.  Sherman ;  Ralph  Snow ;  Wm. 
H.  and  Levi  A.  Ward ;  IngersoU  and  Church. 

Ship  Chandlery,  Groceries,  &c.— George  A.  Avery^E.  D.  Smith,  and  Henry  Brew- 
ster; Walter  S.  Griffith;  Elijah  F.  and  Albert  G.  Smith;  William  P.  Smith. 

Groceries  and  Provisioiis— Edward  S.  Clark ;  Henry  T.  Hooker  and  Reuben  A. 
Bunnell ;  P.  B.  L.  Smith  and  Company  ;  Ellas  Weed ;  Joseph  Farley  and  Samuel 
Hamilton;  James  W.  Sawyer;  Alfred  Hubbell ;  Henry  Campbell  ;  Preston  Smith; 
Joseph  Halsey;  S.B.Dewey;  N.  B.  Merick;  David  Dickey;  William  G.  Russell; 
Hildreth  &  Co. ;  S.  F.  Witherspoon  ;  A.  Cliapin  ;  E.  A.  Miller  ;  N.  H.  Blossom ; 
Marcus  Morse  ;  Elisha  Flowers  ;  John  B.  Dewey  ;  Charles  Smith  ;  Calvin  S.  Gale  ; 
Wm.  H.  Burtiss  ;  Joseph  Cochrane;  Cornelius  M'Guire  ;  Giles  Carter;  Samuel  B. 
Coleman;  M.  Galusha;  Lucius  Bell ;  Quincy  Stoddard  :  P.  J.  Macnamara;  John  N. 
Green  ;  E.  N.  Pettee  ;  C.  Mitchell ;  William  O'Neil ;  James  Rowe  ;  Robert  Sloan 
and  Hugh  Cameron;  J.Morton;  AdamLinegar;  Joseph  Howard;  Henry  Staring; 
Thomas  Edwards ;  Edmund  Moses  ;  Sarnuel  Ball ;  Joseph  Alexander  ;  John  I.  Chap- 
pell  ;  Jotin  D.  Wood ;  William  J.  Southerin  ;  Samuel  I.  Willett ;  J.  P.  Munschauer 
and  Company  ;  James  M'Mullen  ;  Charles  I.  Wing;  Charles  T,  Syuier  and  Frederic 
Slott;  Thomas  Betts ;  Abel  L.  Jones;  E.  F.  Brown;  Austin  Stewart;  John  Steele; 
John  Sheridan  ;  James  M'Intosh ;  Gordon  Hayes  ;  George  Carter  ;  Moody  and  Dalton  ; 
David  M'Kay  ;  David  Godden  ;  Sylvanus  Butler  ;  Robert  Christie  ;  Ira  Bowen  ;  Milton 
Rose  ;  Nelson  Townsend  ;  Thomas  Greggs. 

Hardware-dealers— Josiah  Sheldon  and  U.  B.  Sheldon  ;  E  Watts  ;  C.  Hendrix  ;  D. 
R.  Barton,  H.  Bancker,  and  Carlton  Avery  ;  Bush  and  Viele  ;  B.  and  J.  Wedd. 

Tailors  and  Dealers  in  Clothing-George  Byingion  ;  P.Kearney;  Christopher  H. 
Graham;  H.  B.Sherman;  Alfred  M.Williams;  Peter  Y.  Burke;  John  Burns; 
Thomas  Jennings;  Garret  A.  Madden;  Benjamin  T.  Robinson;  Benjamin  Bayliss, 
Samuel  Bayliss;  John  Perhannes ;  James  Buchan  ,  George  A.  Wilkins  ;  Charles 
Thompson;  Matthew  Burns;  William  Soden ;  P.  Doyle;  J.  Dolman;  J.  A.  Tall- 
madge  ;  Henry  Harrison ;  Charles  P.  Dwyer ;  J.  G.  Cozzens,  ifec. 

Leathei--dealers— Jacob  Graves  ;  Jacob  and  George  Gould ;  Oren  Sage  and  Edwin 
Pancoast  ;  P.  W.  Jennings  and  Rufus  Keeler. 

China,  Glass,  Crockery,  &c. — Joseph  Weekes  and  Company  ;  Charles  W.  Dundas. 
Besides  these  two  stores,  which  sell  by  wholesale  as  well  as  retail,  there  are  about 
twenty  stores  selling  crockery  and  glassware  among  other  goods. 

Builders — carpenters  or  masons— Nehemiah  Oshorn  ;  Jason  Eassett ;  Benjamin 
Adsit ;  Charles  G.  Cumings  ;  Richard  Gorsline;  Joseph  Wood  ;  Henry  Fox  ;  Elias  J. 
Mershon  ;  Matthew  Moore ;  Robert  A.  Hall ;  Philip  Allen ;  J.  T.  Lockwood ;  John 
Taylor;  Carlos  Dutton  ;  Robert  Wilson;  Martin  R.  Briggs  ;  Josiah  Wilcox. 

Bakeries— There  are  twelve  ;  kept  by  Harmon  Taylor;  Jacob  Howe;  Thomas  F. 
and  Christopher  Passage  ;  John  S.  Caldwell ;  Elias  Ball  and  John  Serpell ;  R.  &  T. 
Stringham;  Francis  Shreve;  William  Connell;  William  Sliahen;  A.  Griswold;  P. 
M'Caffray ;  Augustus  Hebbens. 

Printing -oJUces — Luther  Tucker ;  Shepard,  Strong,  and  Dawson  ;  David  Hoyt ; 
William  Ailing  ;  C.  S.  Underwood. 

Hatters— 3ohr\  Haywood  ;  Darius  Perrin  and  A.  C.  Wheeler ;  AVillis  Kempshall ; 
Freeman  Divoll ;  C.  MoUen;  Hiram  Mason;  Charles  Hubbell  ;  Ebenezer Knapp. 

/tru)cZ/ers— Erastus  Cook;  Jonathan  Packard  and  J.  Kedzie;  Wm.  P.  and  Henry 
Staunton;  D.  W.  Chapman  ;  Lawrence  Baron  ;  Cornelius  Burr;  Edward  Walker. 

Drugstores — William  Pitkin ;  John  and  Jabez  D.  Hawks  ;  John  M  Winslow ; 
John  Smyles  and  Charles  Bird  ;  George  H.  Sprigg  ;  Samuel  Weeks  and  John  Hadley. 

Bookstores — David  Hoyt ;  William  Ailing ;  Clarendon  Morse ;  Nichols  and  Wilson  ; 
Henry  Stanwood  &  Co. 

Exchanire-  brokers— E.  Ely  ;  J.  T.  Tallman  ;  H.  Morison  ;  G.  W.  Pratt ;  J.  H.  Watts. 

Ckandlers—Mosea  Dyer  and  Co.  ;  Samuel  Moulson  ;  Orlin  Chapin  ;  Jacob  Ander- 
son ;  F.  M'Geehan.    The  first  two  deal  largely  in  tallow. 

Millinery-shops— Misa  Charlock ;  Mrs.  Lucas  ;  Mrs.  M.  U.  Post ;  Miss  Cooper ; 
Mrs.  Sanford  ;  Miss  S.  A.  Ferguson ;  Mrs.  Wilson  ;  Miss  Olmstead ;  Miss  Chase ; 
Miss  Kidd. 

Painters,  sign  and  ornamental— Russell  Green  ;  J.  I.  Bobbins ;  A.  H.  Jones  ;  J.  A. 
Sprague  ;  A.  Reed;  W.  H.  Myers;  Evans  &  Arnold  ;  Munger<fe  Ritchie  ;  J.  Selkrig. 

Seed-stores — William  Reynolds  and  Michael  B.  Bateham  ;  Kedie  and  Houghton. 

Bookbin4eries— Three :  Samuel  Drake  ;  David  Hoyt ;  William  Ailing. 

33 


374*  SKETCHES   OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

Edge-tools— T\ie  proficiency  to  which  the  Rochester  manufacturers  have  attained 
is  evidenced  by  the  rapidly-increasing  demand  for  ihe  various  edge-ioola  required  by 
carpenleis,  coopers,  and  other  nieclianics.  The  exertions  of  Stager,  Selye,  Barion, 
Guild,  &c  ,  are  worlliy  of  much  approbation  cotiiiected  with  ihls  branch  of  businesB, 
as  they  are  rendering  us  independent  of  Shcllield  and  liirmingham  in  these  matters. 
It  IS  a  duty  which  every  citizen  owes  to  his  own  interest,  as  well  aa  to  his  neighbours 
and  the  city  genemlly,  to  encouiage  tlie  efforts  of  enleriir.sing  mechanics  and  manu- 
facturers. Those  branches  of  business  which  place  the  greatest  amount  of  value 
upon  ilie  raw  material  (such  as  the  conversion  of  iron  into  articles  worth  from  tenfold 
to  fi(\yfold  the  cost  of  the  metal)  aie  particularly  worthy  of  attention  in  cities  like 
this.  We  trust  that  the  advantage  of  the  city,  as  welt  iis  the  merits  of  enterprising 
artisans,  will  induce  every  well-wisher  of  domestic  manufactures  to  render  all  the 
assistance  in  his  power  towards  sustaining  the  efforts  of  those  whose  well-directed 
skill  and  industry  have  already  so  well  established  the  reputation  of  Rochesikii 
KD(iK-Toiii,s.  There  is  this  advantage,  too,  that  tools  here  made  are  all  warranted  to 
the  purchaser.  The  last  lire  at  the  southwest  end  of  (he  Kiver  Bridge  on  Buffalo- 
street  unluckily  destroyed  llie  establishments  of  Barton  and  Guild  and  Henry  W. 
Stager.  But.  with  characteristic  enterprise,  those  persons  have  already  recommenced 
manulaciuring;  and  the  countenance  of  their  fellow  citiz.cns  should  be  liberally 
bestowed  on  the  e.^tablishm-inls  rising  thus  phcenix-like  from  the  ashes. 

Iron  Furnaces— TUomas  Kempshall  and  John  K.  Bush,  Lewis  Kenyon,  Andrew 
J.  Langworthy,  Lewis  Selye.  Connected  with  Mr.  Langworthy's  establishment, 
there  is  a  malleable  iion  tbundry  going  into  operation.  The  casting  of  mill-irons  and 
other  machinery  required  about  a  manufacturing  city  like  Rochester  must  make  the 
furnace  business  always  an  important  one. 

Copper,  Till,  and  Sheet-iron  Factories— Ebenezer  Watts;  A.  Achilles;  A.  B. 
Church ;  Uarius  Cole  :  John  M.  Clark  ;  Jose|)h  Lockwood  and  Henry  Sparks ;  Calvin 
Whaples  and  Albert  Morse  ;  Cornelius  Austin  ;  A.  Morse  ;  U.  Y.  Knecland  Sc  Co.  ; 
Leonard  Hitchcock. 

Bnat-buildiiig — There  are  six  boatyards  now,  which  may  better  be  designated  ship- 
yards when  the  enlarged  canal  shall  require  the  construction  of  larger  vessels  than 
are  now  built.  The  reasons  a.ssigned  by  the  Encyclop:cdia  Americana,  quoted  in  the 
article  on  the  canal  trade,  sufficiently  explain  the  extent  to  which  the  boat-building 
has  been  carried  on  and  must  continue  to  be  carried  on  at  Rochester  Our  boatyards 
supply  not  only  a  laige  proportion  of  vessels  for  Ihe  Erie  Canal,  but  many  for  other 
canal.s  in  this  and  other  states.  The  boat>ards  are  conducted  by  Seth  C.  Jones,  by 
Waller  Harhvdt,  by  J.  P.  Milliner  and  David  R.  Barton,  by  Lars  Larson,  by  Jeremiah 
Hiidreth  &  Co.,  and  by  W.  W.  Howell  and  Broiher. 

C'ljo/ieraiTf— The  extent  of  the  flour  manufacture  furnishes  employment  for  a  large 
number  oi'men  in  making  barrels.  About  half  a  million  being  required  annually,  the 
outlay  of  the  Rochester  mills  for  barrels  alone  is  usually  between  $130,000  anrt 
$200,000  each  year.  When  to  this  item  is  added  the  cost  of  barrels  required  for  pork, 
beer,  beef,  and  other  commodities,  it  must  be  considered  within  bounds  to  estimate  the 
annual  payment  for  cooperage  in  Rochester  ai  an  average  of  the  last-mentioned  sum — 
an  amouiit  greater  than  the  whole  value  of  the  articles  manufactured  annually  in 
some  considerable  villages.  Such  expend  tures  are  the  more  important,  as  they  go  to 
pay  lor  raw  material,  as  well  as  labour  furnished  wholly  in  this  neighbourhood— and 
thus  add  much  to  the  wealth  of  the  community,  while  sustaining  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  industrious  mechanics  and  labourers.  The  cooperage  business  has  been  carried 
on  by  Ephraim  Moore,  M.  Hall,  P.  Bucklay,  Laban  Bunker,  William  Lacey,  and  others 
in  the  vicinity. 

Cabmelmakers—'WiWiSim  Brewster  and  Harvey  T.  Fenn  ;  Frederic  Starr ;  Cowles 

and  Leavenworth;  Daniel  Graves  and  Charles  Robinson  ;  Bill  Colby;  David  Allen  ; 

J.  Bell ;  J.  Woodman  ;  Wakeman  Burr;  A.  Kilbourn  ;  t-mith,  Van  Allen,  &  Hinckley. 

Chairmakers—  SyUester  H.  Packard  ;  H.  Brown  and  A.  Decker,  chair-seat-makers. 

Breweries — There  are  three;  one  conducted  by  Nathan  Lyman  ;  another  by  J.  &  G. 

Longraoor;  and  the  third  by  Mathias  B.  Sparks. 

Distilleries— Three :  Amos  Sawyer;  Epaphras  Wolcott  ;  Hooker,  Bunnel,  &  Co. 
Scalemaker,  patent  platform— Robert  L.  M'Collum.     This  is  a  valuable  invention, 
and  is  superseding  other  kinds  of  scales  in  some  of  our  principal  mills,  factories,  and 
stores.    Those  who  want  should  examine  this  plan  before  buying. 
Piano  and  Music  rooms— Bryant  C.  Brown  ;  H.  Warner. 

Mill-iron-makers — Martin  Briggs :  such  irons  also  made  at  the  furnaces  of  L.  Selye, 
Kempshall  &  Bush,  &c.        Burr- millstone  Factory — Kempshall  &  Bush. 

Millbuilders—Rohen  Dalzell  has  had  the  superintendence  of  the  erection  of  ten 
of  the  principal  mills,  as  mentioned  in  the  article  about  mills. 

Wood  Pumpmaker — Daniel  Stocking.       Patent  fj^mps- Charles  Foster. 
Pail,  Tub,  and  Churn  Factoiy,  by  machinery — John  and  Robert  Braithwaite  ;  by 
tiand,  Laban  Bunker,  &e.        Powder-factory—Va.r%ons  and  Sparks. 

Varitty  Stores— Henry  Scrantom;  "Ptolemy  P.  Thayer;  Cyrus  L.  Sherman. 


OTHER   BRANCHES    OF   BUSINESS.  *375 

Shoe  dealers  and  makers-Abner  Wakelee  ;  J.  &  G.  Gould  :  O.  Saee  and  E.  Pan- 
coast ;  Jesse  and  Isaac  Congdon  ;  Ireland  and  Collins:  George  Shale  ;  Enos  Trayherii ; 
s>epnenY  Ailing  ;  Frink  and  Wilson  ;  Isaac  Leonard  :  Garret  and  Adam  M.  Brown- 

i  j»      Gfjover;  Win.  Brown;  Edward  Coffin  :  Randal  Andrews,  and  odiers. 

noddle  aud  Harness  makers  and  dealers— John  Watts  :  William  E  Lathrop  •  Abra- 
sl'^d'^^^^^'h^^'^^''}  Jennings  &  John  Robbins ;  Joseph  Propel;  Eggleston  and 
Squier ;  E  T.  Raymond.  Ropemaker-WMmm  B.  Griswold. 

^ridgc-'mdders-Moses  Long,  agent  for  Col.  Long's  Patent;  >rArthur  &  Mahan. 
T„h,?"«  1  ^i"7;'«S-e  Rioters-George  Hanford  and  Jacob  Wilbeck ;  William  Uixon : 
John  Scoby  and  Gams  Lane ;  Tiffany  Hunn. 

Wacronmakers,  &c.-C.  C.  Lunt ;  Johnson  M.  Southwick;  Thos.  Housam :  H.  Rue. 

Wkeelbarrows,  &c.— E.  T.  Bolles  and  Company. 

Loach-tnmmer-Wm.  .Tewell.     CfMchpaMters-Geor^e  A.  Evans ;  George  Arnold. 

(^oac/ismilhs  and  Carriage-spring-makers—John  Jones;  John  Tompkins. 

l.eaa-pipe  and  Pwmp  makers— Canex  and  Sanborn. 

AocA-s— new  patent,  E.  B  Smith  ;  an  invention  highly  spoken  of  bv  competent  judges 
J^hoe.peg  Machinery-J&coh  Shumway;  N.  Nichols  ;  Atkinson  and  Birch.  Tririal 
ffr,^"^  n'"*'^*""^''^  ""*5'  appear,  it  converts  a  few  cords  of  wood  into  several  thou- 
sand dollars  annually.  Carding-marMne-makers-V:..  Lee  &.  Son. 

J^ooking.glass-makers,  &c.— John  H.  Thompson;  William  G.  Griffin. 

S/«r^''i"tri^'"","w~^J'^'l",^^""''^  5  "'"'''"  ^  Conkey;  Epaphras  Wolcott. 

^ockmakers-RoyaX  Wright ;  M.  Babcock. 

Thrashing  machines-J.  Hall.        Iron-st/nare-maker-E.  Q.  Wright 

Maclnne  Patter7i-makers-WU]\am  A.  Langworthy;  David  Tuttle      ' 

I obacco-factnries— Walter  S.  Griffith  ;  Richard  Ketchum. 

Upholsterer,  Mattress-maker,  &c.— William  Brewster. 

Umbrella  and  Parasol  maker— John  Humphries. 

aiucfactory-i.  and  J.  D.  Hawkes-also,  sandpaper. 

Silversmiths -JamKH  P.  Steele,  Samuel  W.  Lee. 

Silver-plaUr-GeoTse  Tharp.      Carriage  and  ffouse  Plater-John  H.  Quin. 
in  ^.^^t        '^':Z^u'''  ^-  ^^^  5  J.  E.  Lee :  J.  Copland.   Wood-turning  is  also  done 
III  connexion  with  cabinet-making  in  other  establishments. 

Hairworkers  and  Perfumers-John  Sears  ;  John  Robinson  ;  Sage  and  Baird. 

fl'%  "ol  ^r'  T/'^'r-^-  ^'''^'^'"^  «"<^  Co. ;  H.  Wing  and  G.  F.  Wing. 

ia«Ami/Z-Charles  Ilotchkiss  and  David  Osborn 

Marble-dressers— ZehnXon  Hebard  ;  Leonard  B.  Shears;  George  Kinc 

staveT'^nflf  r^-'^''"^'.."""^'^'^^''^  •'°"«^-     M'l'^hines  are  erected'  for  dressing 

staves,  and  for  planing  and  grooving  plank  ready  for  flooring,  &c.     Worth  seein<r 

Tamers,  iron-Z.  Stetson  ;  John  Colby.  " 

C°o^f,mnZ^'~^-  f-^"?,K ' '  ^''l-  S™'' "'  J-  ^^^''^i' ;  P-  a»d  J-  Connelly  ;  F.  Plumb. 
Combrnakers-Uarun  Albro  and  Mason  Tain  ;  W.  W.  Kenyon  and  M.  Blackman. 
Carpetweaver-^ayxi  Dixon.     Carpetloom-maker-WWW^m  Stebbins. 
tannmg-mill  and  Cradle  jnakers-Jamea  Myers  ;  Joseph  Harris  ;  E.  W  Bn'an 
Glovemakers,  etc.-Reuben  Leonard;  Philander  Gregory.  >  "^   v  .  i^rjan. 

/,7J^''f''''^J'n'"'''\7A^-  ^^'^'"^  ^  Co.  This  is  a  valuable  article  in  its  way: 
-Augermaker-Wilham  Walker.         Bruskmaker-John  Holbrook  ^ 

^lanemakers— James  S.  Benton  ;  Evan  Evans ;  L.  Kennedy,  Jr. 
Screwmaker  wood-A.  Isbell.       Saddler's  toolmaker-S.  A.  Hebard 
WakeL^Rnfr    'i.T^r"'  a"'^  door-mortising,  by  machinery-.Ioseph   Johnson; 
Wakeman  Burr     bash   fancy  sash  and  blinds,  by  hand.  David  II.  Traphagen. 
^ca/e^board,  for  bandboxes,  book-covers,  *;c.-J.  and  R.  Braithwaite 
^■ashmg-macliine-makers-G.  Levingworth  and  R.  Beach  ;  J.  Torrey  •  J  Johnson 
Water-zvheel,  patent-J.  E.  Lee,  maker  and  agent.  ^  '      •"'""^''"■ 

Blacksmith-shops— C.  H.  Bicknell  ;  Wm.  Simpson  ;  J.  Kavana^h  •  Levi  Walker  • 
fane'"E'^Tnio,',n?.'''l^'  ^  P^''^' ^  Robert  M/Boor'man  ;  Gaiuf  nintYey  S 
T^S^ks^Ba^r'^rF^H^S^^arr^^-dsre'rl/oltrr'-  «"«^"  ^"■■^^"  ^  «'°1^"  Colby; 
E^N%tttef-'p^^r%'f'^^^^T^r'  V'-^"'^'"!  Ceorge  Charles;  Alex.  Shaw; 
he  fonL  rinrinr  ,h  T  '  ^^  '^"'■'""-  ^'■"'"  "^''««  ^"»bles  Carriages  are  always  to 
be  found  during  the  day,  exceptmg  the  Sabbath,  in  the  street,  near  the  Courthouse 
«^Ihu,„"r''"""?°['"'^*°"^''''^*""?'°t«'^«  rides  around  the  city.  ChHsIopher's 
t !-,  Jf  ^"'""f'n^  the  theatre  ;  and  Baker's  stable  is  of  mammoth  size.  ^ 

Surveyors  and  Cnul  Eagineers-ln  addition  to  those  mentioned  in  connexion  with 
s  w  "h '..^"^r  '""^  F'^^  ^''^"^°"  ■•  Si'as  Cornell ;  Valentine  Gill ;  M.THall ; 
S.  W.  Hall ;  Charles  B.  Peine ;  Orville  W.  Childs  ' 

Professors  o/Mu.nc-0.  Hill ;  E.  Walker;  B.  C.  Brown,  and  Mr.  Dana 
w™hr/~^.^^  Ene  and  Ohio  Canal  Line  (S.  Rich  &  Co.  agents  at  Rochester) 
tifin  M,i  li'^r""  ^""^'^.^bout  Transportation.     The  name  of  D.  Haines  was  omit- 
nf  *'    ''^'^•'S'orsurgeon  dentists  in  the  article  about  the  Medical  Profession,  and  that 
01  h.  A.  Hopkins  from  the  list  of  attorneys  in  the  article  on  the  Bar  of  Rochester. 


376*  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

Hotels  of  Rochester. 

There  arc  upward  of  thirty  taverns—"  some  of  which,"  as  the  Albany  Journal  re- 
marlted,  "  would  reflect  credit  on  any  city."  The  larger  portion  of  the  remainiler  af- 
ford comfortable  accommodation  to  the  multitude  of  visiters  from  the  surrounding 
country,  and  to  the  travellers  by  canal,  lake,  stage,  and  railroad. 

Eagle  Tavern,  by  Kilian  H.  Van  Rensselaer;  Rochester  House,  by  Charles  Mor- 
ton ;  Monroe  House,  by  Henry  F.  West ;  United  States  Hotel,  by  George  Gates.  Of 
these  four,  engravings  are  annexed,  and  render  description  needless. 

Mansion  House,  by  Henry  Whitbeck ;  Clinton  House,  by  Isaac  Ashley;  Spring- 
Street  House,  by  Mrs.  Ensworth  ;  Arcade  }Iouse,  by  Thomas  Watson  ;  North  Ameri- 
can Motel,  by  William  C.  Green  ;  Fourth  Ward  House,  by  Lemuel  Hatch  ;  Hlossom 
Hotel,  by  Simon  Ashley;  Rensselaer  House,  by  P.  Totie;  Tavern,  by  A.J.  Alc.v- 
andcr  ;  Ontario  House,  by  Jonathan  Lee;  Urighton  Hotel;  Farmer's  Hotel,  by  A. 
Green;  Carthage  Tavern,  by  J.  Poppino  ;  Cottage  Tavern,  by  J.  Hubbard;  Frank- 
fort House;  Cornhill  Tavern;  Tavern,  by  C.  C.  Lunt;  Western  Hotel,  by  Russel 
Roach ;  Tavern,  by  M.  Omaley ;  Wolcot  Tavern,  by  Benjamin  Clark  ;  Tavern,  by 
Ray  Marsh  ;  Tavern,  by  Wm.  J.  M'Cracken  ;  Cordial  House,  by  D.  Wescoit;  Tav- 
ern, by  P.  Hucklay ;  Railroad  House,  by  Power  &  Lux  ;  Tavern,  Main-street,  by  R. 
Murdock  ;  Tavern,  Sophia-«treet,  by  John  Swift ;  Third  Ward  House,  by  Abner 
Sherman  ;  Tavern,  St.  Paul-street,  by  J.  Polly. 

Railroad  Recess,  by  Henry  Kilfoyle;  Recess,  Front  street,  by  O.  Hayes  ;  Recess, 
Main-street,  by  Wm.  M.  Hawkins ;  City  Recess,  by  John  Hawkins. 

Bathing-liouses . 

There  are  two  bathing  establishments  in  the  city  ;  one  of  which  is  well  supplied 
with  mineral  water— the  other  has  been,  but  is  not  now,  as  some  change  in  the  course 
of  the  waters  under  ground  has  given  a  supply  of  fresh  water.  One  of  these  is  in 
Buffalo-street,  between  Sophia  and  Washington  ;  the  other  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
river,  connected  with  the  brewery  of  Messrs.  Longmoor.  The  patronage  of  both 
establishments  is  increasing  with  the  population,  and  as  peojile  learn  to  appreciate 
the  secrets  of  health.  The  springs  which  supply  these  bathing-houses  are  mentioned 
in  connexion  with  various  mineral  springs,  among  the  geological  notices  in  this 
volume.  Lake  Ontario,  and  the  river  without  tiie  city  limits,  are  considerably  re- 
sorted to  for  battling. 

The  City  Reading-rooms 

Are  in  the  second  story  of  Loomis's  Building,  next  south  of  the  Rochester  City 
Bank.  Here,  in  one  room,  may  be  found  daily  supplies  of  the  prominent  newspapers 
from  different  parts  of  the  United  States;  and  in  another  room,  with  a  library  that 
will  shortly  be  much  increased,  there  are  also  to  be  found  a  regular  supply  of  the 
prominent  magazines  and  reviews  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States.  The 
rooms  are  well  lighted  every  evening,  save  the  Sabbath,  till  10  o'clock.  From  the 
convenient  location,  a  central  spot  in  a  pleasant  street,  and  from  the  good  regulations 
observed  in  the  establishment,  these  reading-rooms  are  becoming  much  frequented. 
Lectures  have  been  delivered  here  twice  a  week  during  the  winter"  by  various  genile- 
men,  before  the  Young  Men's  Association,  by  whom  these  reading-rooms  were 
arranged  and  are  chiefly  supported,  as  stated  more  particularly  in  the  article  about 
that  association.  The  librarian,  who  has  charge  of  the  Reading-rooms,  is  Daniel 
Moore,  whose  fidelity  in  observing  the  regulations  for  the  government  of  the  institu- 
tion is  worthy  of  notice.  There  is  a  notice  at  the  bottom  of  the  printed  "  regulations," 
which  is  deserving  of  insertion  here,  for  the  benefit  of  travellers  who  may  visit 
Rochester,  and  who  may  wish  to  spend  an  evening  more  pleasantly  than  circunr.- 
stances  often  permit  in  the  best-regulated  tavern  : 

KT  "  Strangers 

"  Can  be  introduced  to  the  City  Reading-rooms  by  applying  to  the  landlords  of 
the  hotels  ;  and  they  may  find  abundant  supplies  o{ newspapers  from  various  quarters 
of  the  Union,  and  from  the  Canadas.  The  principal  reviews  and  magazines,  American 
and  European,  are  regularly  received  at  these  rooms  ;  and  these  also,  with  the  use 
of  the  Library,  are  for  the  use  gratuitously  of  all  strangers  thus  introduced,"  &c. 

The  members  and  subscribers  have  free  access  to  the  lectures,  as  well  as  to  the 
library,  reviews,  and  magazines.  The  prospects  of  the  institution  are  every  way 
encouraging. 


^^. 


THE    NEW    MARKET,    COURTHOUSE,    ETC.        *377 

The  New  Market. 

This  edifice  is  creditable  to  the  city.  There  is  but  one  inarket-house  in  the  Union, 
and  that  is  in  Boston,  which  can  be  compared  with  this  market  in  its  general  arrange- 
ments. The  appearance  of  the  building  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  engraving. 
The  edifice  is  built  of  stone  and  brick ;  it  is  about  200  leet  long,  extending  along  the 
west  bank  of  the  Genesee  River — the  waters  washing  its  basement,  and  affording 
facilities  for  cleansing  the  building.  Tbe  wings  extend  about  80  feet  from  either  end 
on  the  west  side— thus  forming  three  sides  of  a  square  fronting  on  Front-street,  and 
having  a  new  street  called  Market-street  opened  in  front  of  it  up  to  Stale-street. 
The  location  is  about  equidistant  between  the  canal  aqueduct  and  the  Main  Falls,  a 
few  rods  north  of  the  main  bridge.  The  edifice  is  substantially  as  well  as  tastefully 
constructed — the  basement  story  being  of  cut  stone  and  the  superstructure  of  brick. 
The  parts  of  the  main  building  and  wings  fronting  on  the  square  are  supported  by 
square  stone  columns,  with  large  doors  and  windows,  arranged  with  green  blinds,  and 
presenting  an  appearance  unsurpassed  by  the  lower  pari  of  any  range  of  stores  in  the 
city.  The  stalls  are  arranged  on  the  east  side  of  the  main  building  and  on  the  north  and 
south  sides  of  the  wings,  which  are  all  connected -there  being  an  ample  passage-way 
between  the  stalls  and  the  (rout  of  the  building.  Each  stall  on  the  east  side  opens 
by  a  door  upon  the  long  balcony  which  overhangs  the  river  ;  and  thus  is  secured  free 
ventilation  as  well  as  facilities  for  cleansing  the  building.  Taken  altogether,  the 
construction  and  management  of  the  building  is  creditable  to  the  corporation  and  to 
fhe  occupants  of  the  stalls,  as  the  judgment  of  the  latter  was  consulted  in  the  building, 
and  their  neatness  is  manifested  by  the  manner  in  which  th -y  observe  the  regulations 
of  the  market.  Indeed,  so  tastefully  arranged  is  the  concern  (which  can  be  ail  closed 
as  tight  as  a  parlour  in  winter),  that  it  would  hardly  be  out  of  character  should  our 
friends  of  the  cleaver  conclude  to  carpet  the  whole  market  for  the  reception  of  cus- 
tomers. The  temperature  is  made  pleasant  in  winter  by  stoves ;  and  the  building  is 
■well  lighted  by  the  corporation  on  market  nights.  Should  any  of  the  New-York  or 
Philadelphia  gentlemen  butchers  visit  Kochesler  when  on  their  fashionable  lours  to 
the  falls,  &c.,  the  perfection  of  this  new  market  will  probably  cause  them  to  "  strike" 
for  better  edifices  on  returning  to  their  respective  cities. 

The  basement  story  is  well  fitted  for  packing  beef,  besides  serving  for  a  fish  market, 
&c.  The  space  in  front  of  the  edifice  may  serve  temporarily  for  a  vegetable  market, 
but  we  hope  the  corporation  will  purchase  ampler  grounds  for  that  purpose.  With 
such  an  addition,  the  Rochester  New  Market  would  be  perfect  in  its  kind.  It  may  be 
added  that  the  building  cost  about  $25,000;  ihat  the  length  of  the  wings,  added  to 
that  of  the  main  building,  makes  a  total  of  about  350  feet — that  ihe  masonry  was 
erected  by  Richard  Gorsline,  and  the  woodwork  finished  by  Nehemiah  Osborn  and 
Brother.  The  building  committees  during  ils  construction  consisted  of  Aldermen 
Joseph  Strong,  L.  K.  Faulkner,  Warham  Whitney,  Wm.  H.  Waid,  and  Hesior  L. 
Stevens— to  whose  good  taste,  and  to  that  of  the  other  members  of  the  corporation, 
approbation  is  justly  due. 

This  meat  market  is  now  occupied  by  B.  W.  Durfee,  Jacob  Thorn,  Edward  Frost, 
Samuel  Moulson,  William  J.  Southerin,  Alonzo  Frost,  Edward  Champeney,  Gilman 
Leavitt,  ,Iohn  Quin,  Martin  Wilson,  Asa  Wesion,  Spencer  Davis,  Clark  Wilbur,  and 
M.  Veeder.     There  is  a  small  market  farther  north,  called  Frankfort  Market. 

The  Courthouse  in  Rochester 
Is  situated  on  a  large  lot  bestowed  for  county  purposes  by  Rochester,  Fitzhugh,  and 
Carroll,  the  proprietors  of  the  Hundred-acre  Tract.  It  is  a  slone  building.  60  by  70 
feet,  two  .stories  high,  besides  a  basement  floor  for  offices,  iic.  The  corporation  of 
the  city  and  the  mayor's  court  are  accommodated  with  a  room  occupying  half  of  the 
first  story.    The  county  courtroom  occupies  the  whole  of  the  second  story. 

A  city  hall  is  much  wanted  to  accommodate  the  various  officers  of  the  city  and  to 
promote  the  convenience  of  ihe  citizens  who  have  business  with  them. 

The  Jail  of  Monroe  County 
Is  built  in  the  southern  part  of  the  city  of  Rochester,  so  close  to  the  river  that  the 
waters  wash  its  eastern  foundation  wall.  The  whole  building  is  of  stone,  and  is  100 
feet  long  by  40  feet  wide.  The  main  prison  is  60  by  40  feet ;  and  in  it  is  a  block  of 
cells  two  tiers  high,  and  forty  in  number.  These  cells  are  four  feel  wide,  eight  feet 
long,  and  seven  feet  high.  Above  them  is  a  room  llie  whole  size  of  ihis  prison,  60  by 
40,  which  will,  in  time,  be  finished  into  cells  of  larger  size.  The  jailer's  dwelling, 
which  forms  part  of  ihe  edifice,  is  40  feet  square  and  three  stories  high,  the  first  and 
second  stories  of  which  are  occupied  by  him  ;  the  third  story  being  divided  into  seven 
rooms,  intended  for  debtors,  but  used  at  present  for  the  confinement  of  women  and 
for  men  charged  with  light  oflTences.  This  class  of  men  are  commonly  employed  in 
turning  various  articles,  in  making  furniture,  in  tailoring,  shoemaking,  and  weaving. 
During  Ihe  last  summer,  the  men  under  sentence  were  employed  in  breaking  slone  in 

32* 


378*  SKETCHES  of  Rochester,  etc. 

the  yard  ;  the  lowest  number  thus  employed  in  the  yard  at  any  one  time  was  15,  and 
the  highest  38.  The  average  number  of  prisoners  in  the  whole  jail  for  the  year  ending 
on  the  4th  of  October,  1837,  was  about  50;  the  highest  number  at  any  one  time  was 
91  and  the  lowest  23.  Edwin  Avery,  the  late  jailer,  kept  in  the  yard  a  man  and  a 
boy  to  assist  in  governing  the  prisoners  engaged  in  outdoor  work.  All  the  prisoners 
inside  were  solely  managed  by  himself  It  gives  us  great  pleasure  to  be  able  to  bear 
testimony  to  the  exemplary  manner  in  which  Mr.  Avery  discharged  his  duties,  not 
merely  as  a  public  officer,  but  as  a  humane  citizen.  lie  deserves  much  credit  for 
meliorating  the  condition  of  the  prisoners  by  inducing  them  lo  labour  voluntarily  in 
various  useful  ways,  and  for  endeavouring  to  promote  the  education  of  boys  and  other 
prisoners  who  could  conveniently  be  taught  m  the  upper  part  of  the  building.  Ill 
these  efforts  he  was  seconded  by  Mr.  Elias  Pond,  the  late  sheriff;  and  we  doubt  not 
that  the  present  sheriff,  Darius  Perrin,  will  cordially  co-operate  with  the  present 
jailer,  Ephraim  Gilbert,  in  continuing  efforts  so  happily  begtm  for  improving  the  con- 
dition of  the  vicious  or  unfortunate  who  may  be  thrown  in  their  charge.  The  benev- 
olent among  our  citizens,  male  and  female,  should  not  fail  to  visit  occasionally,  and  aid 
in  promoting  the  good  work.  The  examples  of  Howard,  and  Eddy,  and  Mrs.  Fry, 
are  worthy  of  all  emulation.  The  j)roper  authorities  should  lose  no  time  in  enclosing 
the  whole  of  the  fine  lot  on  which  the  jail  is  situated,  that  thus  greater  facilities  may 
be  afforded  for  employing  the  prisoners,  to  the  improvement  of  morals  and  preserva- 
tion of  health.  In  considering  the  number  of  prisoners,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind 
that  the  county  from  \Yhic;h  they  are  collected  is  e.\ceeded  in  population  by  only  four 
counties  in  the  state. 

Bridges  of  Rochester. 

There  is  a  sufficiency  of  bridges  across  the  canal ;  but  those  across  the  river  are  not 
what  they  ought  to  be,  nor  sufficiently  numerous.  We  are  rather  "  behind  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  age"  in  this  latter  matter.  There  are  now  but  two  bridges  across  the  river 
in  the  city,  and  none  between  the  city  and  Lake  Ontario.  However,  there  is  a  prospect 
that  we  shall  soon  have  a  full  supply  in  this  respect.  A  law  exists  authoriyiiig  a  tax 
for  rebuilding  the  main  bridge ;  that  which  connects  liuffalo-street  on  the  west  side 
with  Main-street  on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  A  new  bridge  will  be  erected  in  the 
summer  of  1838  midway  betsveen  the  main  bridge  and  the  Main  or  Middle  Falls,  to 
connect  Mumford-streel  on  the  west  side  with  Andrews-street  on  the  east  side.  We 
are  informed  that  the  proprietors  of  the  third  water-power  will  about  the  same  time 
erect  a  bridge  to  connect  their  tract  with  a  street  running  down  the  west  bank  beside 
the  mills  of  Warhani  Whitney  &  Co.  A  bridge  is  projected  in  the  southerly  part  of 
the  city,  to  cross  somewhere  about  the  dam  which  supplies  the  races  at  the  first  falls 
or  rapids  near  the  jail.  The  railroad  bridge  of  the  Rochester  and  Auburn  Company, 
•which  is  to  be  immediately  built,  will  cro.ss  the  river  a  few  rods  south  of  the  Main  or 
Middle  Falls,  near  the  dam  which  supplies  Gibbs's  Mills  on  the  east  side  and 
Brown's  Race  on  the  west  side  ;  and  will  be  so  arranged  as  to  furnish  conveniences 
for  foot-passengers.  The  new  aqueduct  will  have  a  better  footpath  than  the  old  one 
has ;  so  that  a  short  time  will  render  the  communications  by  bridges  between  the  op- 
posite sides  of  the  river  in  Rochester  as  good  as  could  reasonably  be  desired. 

After  Carthage  Bridge  fell,  of  which  notice  is  elsewhere  taken,  a  bridge  was  built 
at  the  Lower  Falls,  within  a  short  distance  of  that  stupendous  work.  1  his  second 
bridge  was  swept  away  several  years  ago  ;  and  another  erected  a  couple  of  years  ago 
near  the  same  place  shared  a  similar  fate  in  the  great  flood  of  1835. 

There  was  a  toll-bridge  formerly  near  where  the  Rochester  and  Auburn  Railroad 
bridge  will  cross.  It  was  erected  in  1819  by  Messrs.  Mumford  and  Brown;  but  it 
soon  became  ruinous.  It  was  used  by  foot-passengers  even  when  it  seemed  rather 
hazardous  ;  and  a  remark  made  by  the  Duke  of  Sa.\e  Weimar  respecting  it  has  occa- 
sionally recurred  to  us  on  noticing  the  defective  condition  of  some  other  bridges. 
When  about  to  cross  for  the  purpose  of  viewing  the  falls  in  company  with  Colonel 
John  H.  Thompson  and  other  gentlemen,  the  duke  found  that  some  of  the  timbers 
yielded  to  his  pressure ;  and  hastily  withdrawing,  significantly  declared  that  he  had 
"  a  ivife  and  children  at  home.^ 

The  Tonnewanta  Railroad  Bridge  across  the  Erie  Canal  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river  in  Rochester  is  178  feet  in  length  ;  its  longest  span  is  120  feet  between  the 
bearings.  It  was  built  in  1836  by  M'Arthur  and  Mahan,  sub-agents  of  Dr.  Moses 
Long,  of  Rochester,  on  Colonel  S.  H.  Long's  patent  plan.  "  The  important  advantages 
possessed  by  Colonel  Long's  bridges  over  others  are,  that  the  strain  on  the  important 
timbers  is  endwise,  either  by  tension  or  thrust ;  and  this,  too,  without  any  material 
strain  or  thrust  against  the  abutments.  Any  defects  which  time  may  make  can  be  re- 
paired with  about  the  same  facility  as  the  putting  in  of  the  orginial  timber."  This 
bridge  has  certainly  withstood  well  all  the  pressure  of  the  heavy  trains  passing  over  it. 
A  view  of  it  is  annexed.  It  may  be  remarktd  that  the  construction  of  the  passenger 
cars  present  a  different  appearance  from  that  of  the  cars  on  other  railroads ;  being 
built  on  a  plan  of  Elisha  Johnson,  by  wliich  the  baggage  finds  an  apartment  in  the 
same  car  wherein  the  owners  are  seated. 


PUBLIC    IMPROVEMENTS. 


*379 


STREETS  OF  ROCHESTER. 

Within  the  last  seven  years,  even  the  main  streets  of  Rochester, 
cut  \ip  by  the  thousand  wagons  freighted  with  the  products  of  the  sur- 
rounding country,  presented  during  most  of  the  year  a  spectacle  which 
caused  the  place  to  be  jocularly  called  the  "  City  of  Mud."  On  this 
point,  so  essential  to  cleanliness,  comfort,  and  health,  there  is  now,  in 
view  of  the  recent  improvements,  much  reason  for  gratification.  The 
change  effected  is  great  indeed. 

There  are  now  within  the  city  limits  pavement  and  macadamization 
in  streets  and  alleys,  and  sidewalks  of  brick  and  flagging,  to  an  extent 
that  renders  locomotion  less  laborious  than  it  was  a  few  years  a^o. 

Mr.  J.  M'Connell,  a  contractor  of  well-known  energy  in  "mending 
our  ways,"  has  promptly  complied  with  our  request  on  the  subject  by 
furnishing  the  following  statements  of  the  progress  and  present  condition 
of  the  street  improvements  in  Rochester,  above  and  under  ground,  for 
the  extent  of  the  sewers  is  worthy  of  particular  notice.  It  will  be  per- 
ceived that  most  of  the  streets  are  of  good  width. 

Those  who  may  be  curious  in  examming  the  minutia  as  well  as  extent 
of  improvements  in  new  settlements  will  probably  pardon  the  occupa- 
tion of  so  much  space  with  a  "  bill  of  particulars." 


Street  Improvements  in  Rochester  prior  to  1837. 


Names  of  Streets  Improved. 


Bufelo-st.,  from  Main  Br.  to  Canal  Br. 
"      from  Canal  Br.  to  burying  ground 
"      from  burymg  ground  to  city  line 

Main-st.,  from  Main  Br.  to  Stilson  st. 

St.  Paul-st.,  from  Andrew-st.  to  Canal  Br, 

Monroe-st.,  from  Clinton  to  Alexander-st. 
"  "    Alex-st.  to  city  line    . 

Clinton-st,  from  Court  to  Monroe-street 
"  "    Court  to  Andrew-street 

Mortimer-st.,  from  St.  Paul  to  Clinton-st 

Court-st.,  from  Clinton  to  Exchange-st. 

State-st.,  from  Buffalo-st.  to  Lyel  Road 

Spring-st.,  from  Exchange  to  High-st.  . 

Exchange-st ,  from  Buffalo  to  Court-st. 

Sophia-st.,  from  Spring  to  Adams-st.    . 

And  from  Canal  Bridge  to  Ann-st. 

Fitzhugh-st.,  from  Troup  to  Ann-st.     . 

Troup-st.,  from  Fitzhugh  to  Sophia-st. 

Ann-st.,  from  State  to  Elizabeth-st.    . 

Elizabeth-st.,  from  Buffalo  to  Ann-st. 

Works-at.,  from  State  to  Front-st.   .     . 

River  Alley,  from  Works  to  Mumford-st. 

Pindle  Alley,  from  Buffalo  to  Ann-st.  . 

Montgomery  Alley,  fr.  Buffalo  to  Ann-st. 

And  from  Spring  to  Troup-st.      .     .     . 

North-st ,  from  Main-st.  North  .     .     . 

South-st.,  from  Court-st.  South    .    .     . 
Total  length  of  each  in  yards.    . 


t 

i. 

1 

1 

1 

■^.• 

1^ 

1 

"S 

°f 

olS 

•s 

.■3 

.■3 

1^ 

1 

& 

& 

^ 

^ 

Feet. 

Feet. 

Yards 

y;;^;: 

20 

18 

821 

821 

20 

12 

700 
]183 

700 

50 

12 

650 

33 

12 

773 

500 

22 

10 

800 
700 

800 

10 

130 

10 

21 

6 
12 

250 

69 

17 

1144 

300 

10 

634 

69 

17 
10 
10 
10 

,S 

10 

120 

240 

24 

120 

15 

300 

15 

300 

15 

300 

15 

10 
10 

275 

7005 

5556 

.3 

Yards. 

164^ 
1400 

1900 
2546 
1600 

130 
1200 
500 


1268 
700 

1084 
675 

1400 
200 
366 
200 


>^:-'' 


380*  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTEn,    ETC. 

Street  Improvements  completed  in  Rochester  in  1837. 
800  feet   in  length  of  Main-street ;  macadamized  36  feet  in  centre  ; 

paved    10  feet   on  each  side ;    cut  kerbstones  ;   sidewalks  on  each 

side,  17  feet  wide. 
880  feet  on  North  and  South  St.  Paul-street ;  macadamized  track  22 

feet;  paved  on  each  side,  10  feet;  cut  kerbstones;    sidewalks  on 

each  side,  12  feet  wide. 
2200  feet  of  Main- street,  east  section,  macadamized  30  feet  in  width ; 

paved  8  feet  on  each  side ;  hammer  dressed  kerbstones ;  sidewalks 

on  each  side,  10  feet  wide. 
800  feet  on  Front-street  ;  macadamized  26  feet  wide  ;  paved  on  each 

side  8  feet ;  cut  kerbstones  ;  sidewalks  12  feet  wide  on  each  side. 
1100    feet    South   Fitzliugh-sireel ;    graded,   gravelled  32  feet  wide; 

paved  6  feet  wide  on  each  side;  cut  kerbstones;  sidewalk  12  feet 

wide. 

Sewers  in  Rochester  previous  to  1834. 
Troup-street  sewer,  3000  feet  long,  angling  through  the  centre  of  the 

city. 
500  feet  of  sewer  from  Rochester  House  to  Buffalo-street ;  from  thence 

to  river  450  feet. 
700  feet  of  sewer  along  State  and  Mumford  streets. 
400  feet  of  sewer  called  Factory-street  sewer. 
Clinton-street  sewer,  along  Johnson  and  Stone  sts.  through  property  to 

St.  Paul-street,  distance  about  2000  feel. 
None  of  these  sewers  are  less  than  2   feet  square,  and  Troup-street 

sewer  is  3  feet  square. 

1835.  Fish-street  sewer,  87'5  feet  long,  3  feet  square  on  State-street. 
M'Crocken  sewer,  485  feet  long,  2  feet  by  1  foot  10  inches  on 
State-street.  Ann-street  sewer,  1750  feet  long,  3  feet  square,  from 
the  river  to  Elizabeth-street. 

Spring-street  sewef,  560  feet,  2  feet  square,  from  Troup-street  sewer 

to  Fitzhugh-street,  with  lateral  sewers. 
Mortimer-street  sewer,  500  feet  long  and  2  feet  square. 
River  Alley  sewer,  350  feet  long  and  2  feet  square. 

1836.  Buffalo-street  sewer,  from  the  river  to  Washington-street,  arched, 
3  feet  6  inches  wide,  and  5  feet  3  inches  high  to  crown  of  arch, 
with  lateral  sewers  to  every  alternate  property,  when  the  property 
does  not  exceed  50  feet  front.  The  whole  laid  in  water  cement  at 
an  expense  of  S7500. 

Buffalo-street  middle-section  sewer,  from  Ford-street  to  Park  Place  ; 

laid  in  water  cement,  800  feet  long  and  2  feet  square. 
Baffalo-street  sewer,  from  Washington-street  west  to  Canal  Bridge  ; 

450  feet  long,  2  feet  square. 
Monroe  and  Clinton  streets  sewer,  1100  feet  long,  2  feet  square. 
Court-street  sewer,  500  feet  long,  2  feet  square. 
Plat-street  sewer,  1700  feet  long,  3  feet  by  2  1-2  feet. 

1837.  Main-street  sewer,  800  feet  long,  3  feet  by  2  1-2  feet  ;  laid  in 
water  cement,  with  lateral  sewers  to  each  property. 

North  and  South  St.  Paul-street  sewers,  850  feet  long,  2  feet  square, 
with  lateral  sewers. 
The  estimated  expense  of  the  above  sewers  is  about  $27,000 


THE    MUSEUM,    WATERWORKS,    ETC.  *38l 


The  Rochester  Museum. 
This  establishment  is  steadily  accumulating  curiosities,  and  has  advanced  as 
rapidly  as  could  reasonably  be  expected  in  a  place  of  such  recent  origin  as  Rochester. 
Tlie  proprietor,  J.  R.  Bishop,  is  indefatigable  in  his  efforts  to  collect  and  preserve 
whatever  may  be  within  his  means  for  gratifying  curiosity.  Rooms  more  easy  of 
access  and  more  spacious  would  render  the  Museum  more  attractive.  Some  small 
remains  of  the  Mastodon,  found  in  Perrinton,  m  Rochester,  and  on  the  western 
prairies,  may  be  seen  in  this  collection. 

The  Promenade 
Is  situate  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Genesee  River,  abreast  of  the  Middle  or  Main 
Falls.  This  spot,  much  frequented  by  visiters,  commands  a  fine  view  of  the  city  on 
both  sides  of  the  stream,  as  well  as  of  the  cataract.  The  ground  is  high,  and  affords 
opportunity  for  the  arrangement  of  a  pleasant  promenade.  It  is  now  private  property 
— owned  by  an  association  of  manufacturers  interested  in  the  water-power ;  and  was 
purchased  by  them  for  the  purpose  of  securing  to  their  use  on  the  luest  side  the  pro- 
portion of  water  to  which  this  ground  on  the  east  side  is  entitled.  From  this  prome- 
nade, at  a  point  about  thirty  rods  north  of  the  Genesee  Falls  Mills,  the  visiter  may  ob- 
tain views  of  the  Main  Falls  like  those  represented  in  the  engravings.  This  spot  is 
at  present  a  pasture  lot — without  those  improvements  which  might  be  expected  in 
such  a  commanding  situation.  It  is  not  improbable  tliat  an  effort  will  be  made  soon 
to  procure  this  commanding  spot  for  the  recreation  of  the  citizens,  and  for  the  suitable 
reception  of  ihe  travellers  who  in  great  numbers  visit  the  place,  notwithstanding  the 
present  access  to  it  is  not  very  inviting.  It  cannot  be  doubted  that  tliose  who  bought 
the  tract  for  the  sake  of  using  elsewhere  the  water  to  which  it  is  entitled  will  dis- 
pose of  the  land  on  reasonable  terms  for  purposes  such  as  are  here  noticed. 

As  the  city  has  never  been  at  the  expense  of  purchasing  any  of  the  public  squares 
(those  grounds  being  the  gifts  of  individuals  who  owned  property  around  them),  some 
expenditures  in  this  way,  when  present  pecuniary  difficulties  shall  have  subsided, 
would  not  probably  be  considered  improper  by  the  generality  of  citizens. 

Rochester  Waterworks  Company. 
This  corporation  was  created  in  1835  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  city  with 
"pure  and  wholesome  water,"  to  be  conducted  from  a  copious  spring  of  excellent 
water  situate  in  a  tract  of  high  and  broken  land  on  the  southerly  line  of  the  city,  near 
the  new  Cemetery  and  beside  the  river.  The  land  is  owned  by  Charles  J.  Hill. 
An  organization  is  effected  under  the  charter  ;  but  the  works  are  not  yet  constructed. 
The  directors,  elected  by  the  stockholders,  are  Levi  Ward,  Jr.,  Charles  J.  Hill,  James 
M.  Fish,  Levi  W.  Sibley,  and  George  W.  Pratt — the  first-named  persons  being  presi- 
dent and  secretary.  The  high  grounds  around  the  spring  command  a  beautiful  view 
of  the  city,  &c. 

Supplying  of  Water. 

On  the  subject  of  supplying  the  city  with  pure  water  for  culinary  and  other  uses, 
Mayor  Johnson  followed  up  the  suggestions  of  his  inaugural  address  by  a  report  to  the 
Common  Council  on  the  16th  of  January,  1838.  This  report  has  been  issued  in  pam- 
phlet form,  twenty  pages  octavo,  from  the  [iress  of  Luther  Tucker.  The  importance 
of  early  and  extensive  arrangements  for  supplying  all  parts  of  the  city  plentifully 
with  water — the  increased  facilities  for  comfort,  health,  and  business,  and  the  aug- 
mented security  against  fire,  which  would  thus  be  afforded — together  with  the  pe- 
cuniary economy  of  the  measure,  are  set  forth  convincingly  by  this  report.  A  cal- 
culation is  made  to  show  that  the  cost  of  the  requisite  waterworks  would  be  speedily 
counterbalanced  to  the  citizens  by  the  diminished  rale  of  ensurance  consequent  on  such 
additional  safeguards  against  fire  as  would  be  afforded  by  the  branches  of  the  works 
scattered  throughout  the  city.  The  mayor  suggests  a  plan  for  effecting  these  objects 
by  forming  reservoirs  beside  the  river,  wherein  sufficient  water  could  be  secured  to 
supply  the  city  during  the  turbid  state  of  the  stream  in  high  floods,  &c.  These  res- 
ervoirs are  calculated  "  to  contain  12,315,646  gallons  of  water— an  ample  supply  for 
the  city  during  the  longest  river  floods." 

"The  works  would  furnish  daily  about  1,500,000  gallons,  or  450  gallons  to  each 
family  of  six  persons,  in  a  population  of  20,000,"  says  the  mayor.  "  In  other  cities, 
the  average  quantity  used  for  all  purposes  is  about  150  gallons  to  each  family  of  six 
persons  in  the  entire  population.  We  should  be  able  to  furnish  this  quantity  to 
10,000  families  or  60,000  inhabitants.  The  actual  cost  of  this  water  would  be  one 
cent  for  608  1-3  gallons,  or  about  16  8-9  barrels."  The  estimates  may  appear  low 
to  those  who  consider  not  the  local  facilities  for  accomplishing  the  object. 


382*  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,   ETC. 


Fuel — Wood  and  Coal. 

The  city  is  at  present  abundantly  supplied  with  flrc-wood— at  an  expense  for  say 
beach  and  maple  of  about  S2  50  per  cord,  delivered  at  the  houses.  But  it  is  necessary 
to  reflect  now  on  the  prospects  of  a  supply  of  other  fuel.  The  facilities  for  obtaining 
coal  conseijuent  on  the  construction  of  the  Genesee  Valley  Canal  are  among  the 
important  considerations  connected  with  that  valuable  improvement.  Some  interest- 
ing e.xaminaiions  on  this  subject  were  made  last  summer  by  Fkkdkric  C.  Mills, 
the  chief  engineer  of  the  Genesee  Canal.  These  investigations  resulted  from  the 
proposed  improvements  between  the  .southern  termination  of  the  canal  (at  Olean) 
and  the  coal-beds  of  Pennsylvania.  By  means  of  a  short  canal  and  slackwater  navi- 
gation up  the  Allegany,  partly  within  the  limits  of  both  slates,  the  coal  and  iron  beds 
along  Potato  Creek  in  M'Kean  county  may  be  easily  reached.  Mr.  Mills  surveyed 
the  portion  of  the  route  between  Olean  and  the  Pennsylvania  line,  and  inspected  the 
remainder  of  the  distance,  as  well  as  the  depositories  of  the  minerals.  He  slates 
that  he  was  surprised  to  find  so  little  fill  in  the  streams,  and  the  flats  so  well  adapted 
to  canalling.  The  coal  lies  in  a  direct  line,  about  twenty-eight  miles  south  of  the 
junction  of  the  Genesee  Canal  with  the  Allegany  Uiver  at  Olean  ;  but  the  leniilh  of 
the  contemplated  improvem>-nl  for  reaching  the  mineral  would  probably  be  forty-two 
miles,  about  eight  of  which  would  bi;  in  the  State  of  New-York.  "  I  saw  the  coal  at 
five  places,"  says  Mr.  Mills,  "  varying  from  one  fourth  to  one  mile  apart.  It  was  dif- 
ficult to  determine  with  certainty  whether  at  all  the  points  the  coal  was  of  different 
veins  or  not,  though  I  am  inclined  to  believe  it  was  at  most,  if  not  all  of  them.  The 
veins  vary  in  thickness  from  ten  to  seventeen  inches  of  solid  coal.  The  most  perfect 
opening  I  saw  exhibited  three  veins,  alternating  with  slate,  making  together  eight 
feet  in  depth,  from  the  top  of  the  upper  to  the  bottom  of  the  lower  vein— some  four 
or  five  feet  of  which  will,  I  think,  when  the  drift  is  carried  farther  into  the  hill,  prove  to 
be  good  coal.  It  is  bituminous,  and  of  a  fair  quality.  Bog  iron  ore  of  an  excel- 
lent quality  is  found  in  large  quantities  in  the  same  region,  and  also  limestone."  *  *  * 
"  From  what  I  saw," concludes  Mr.  Mills,  "I  am  induced  to  believe  it  will  prove  suffi- 
ciently abundant  to  work  advantageously,  and,  with  the  improvement  in  question, 
must  eventually  contribute  largely  to  the  trade  and  importance  of  the  Genesee  Valley 
Canal." 

Police  of  the  City  and  County. 

It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  particular  notice,  that,  from  the  foundation  of  Rochester  to 
the  present  time,  no  mob  or  tumult  has  occurred  like  those  which  have  occasionally 
disgraced  some  other  large  towns.  The  general  tranquillity  of  the  city  is  noticed 
among  the  remarks  of  one  of  the  mayors,  whose  office  included  a  period  of  much  ex- 
citement on  the  abolition  and  other  questions  — excitement  which  elsewhere  led  to 
frequent  riots.  Although  Monroe  holds  nearly  the  same  rank  among  the  counties  that 
Rochester  does  among  the  cities  of  the  Slate,  no  capital  conviction  has  ever  yet  taken 
place  within  its  limits;  and,  notwithstanding  the  two  acts  which  have  unhappily 
marked  the  last  few  months  (the  murder  of  Mr.  Lyman  and  the  outrage  on  Captain 
Gage),  the  annals  of  few  communities  present  pages  less  blackened  by  crime.  May 
we  not  be  backward  in  employing  the  means  which  prosperity  places  within  our 
reach,  for  the  prevention  of  crime  and  the  eradication  of  vice— for  the  advancement  of 
intellectual  and  moral  culture  I 

A  city  night-watch  has  been  maintained  for  some  years.  Ariel  Wentworth  is  the 
present  police  magistrate. 

Cemeteries. 
The  arrangements  for  the  dead  furnish  strong  indications  of  the  characteristics  of 
the  living.  It  is  gratifying  to  find  that  in  this  matter,  as  in  most  other  cases,  the  spirit 
of  our  people  is  shown  in  a  favourable  light.  A  tract  of  ground  has  been  secured  for 
the  purposes  of  a  cemetery  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  on  the  southern  line  of  the 
city,  which  will  supersede  the  use  of  the  present  cemeteries.  The  tract  contains 
about  fifty  acres,  and  includes  some  high  grounds  which  overlook  the  city  and  its  vi- 
cinity for  many  miles.  The  land  is  varied  by  hill  and  valley,  and  has  an  abundance 
of  trees  and  shrubbery,  which  may  be  trimmed  so  as  to  make  beautiful  shade.  With 
an  edifice  erected  on  the  highest  summit,  to  serve  as  a  chapel  partly  and  partly  as  an 
observatory,  this  cemetery  would  soon  become  a  resort  for  those  who  wish  to  withdraw 
occasionally  from  worldly  bustle  to  meditate  on  their  own  condition  and  on  their  past 
relations  with  the  dead.  From  the  spirit  manifested  by  the  citizens,  it  cannot  be 
doubted  that  the  7ieiu  cemetery  of  Rochester  will  soon  be  arranged  with  a  degree  of 
tgiste  which  may  render  it  an  object  as  interesting  to  our  citizens  as  Mount  Auburn  is 
to  the  people  of  Boston. 


FINE    ARTS.  *383 

Miscellaneous  Notices — Artists,  etc. 
First  settlers  and  first  settlements  are  characterized  by  works  of  necessity  rather 
than  of  ornament.  Manifestations  of  taste  and  liberality  in  reference  to  the  Fine 
Arts  are,  however,  increasing  in  Rochester  in  a  ratio  commensurate  with  the  pros- 
perity of  the  citizens.  The  architecture  of  our  churches  and  other  public  buildings, 
as  well  as  that  of  many  of  the  private  edifices,  is  generally  creditable  to  the  taste 
of  the  inhabitants,  as  well  as  to  the  skill  of  the  builders. 

On  the  death  of  De  Will  Clinton,  the  Franklin  Institute  raised  a  subscription  to 
procure  a  full-length  portrait  of  the  lamented  statesman.  Catlin,  who  has  since  ren- 
dered himself  conspicuous  by  his  works  among  the  Indians,  was  the  artist  selected 
for  the  task.  The  painting,  copied  from  a  likeness  taken  by  the  same  artist  lor  the 
corporation  of  New- York,  was  sent  to  Rochester  in  charge  of  his  brother,  whose 
untimely  fate  at  a  romantic  spot  is  elsewhere  mentioned  in  this  volume.  The  In- 
stitute having  met  with  some  difficulties,  the  property  was  disposed  of,  and  the  por- 
trait of  Chntun  fell  into  the  hands  of  Elisha  Johnson,  the  present  mayor,  who,  we 
doubt  not,  would  cheerfully  do  all  that  could  be  expected  reasonably  from  an  indi- 
vidual in  rendering  the  painting  the  property  of  some  public  institution.  Might  not  a 
subscription  be  raised  to  secure  for  the  public  this  interesting  memorial  of  departed 
greatness  ? 

The  traveller  who  has  ever  sojourned  at  the  Clinton  House  of  Rochester  while  Ma- 
Ihies  was  landlord  cannot  have  forgotten  the  portrait  of  the  Red  Chieftain  which  ar- 
rested his  attention  on  entering  the  parlour  of  that  hotel.  The  striking  physiognomy, 
the  piercing  eye,  the  peculiar  medallion  on  the  breast,  might  well  have  excited  in- 
quiry;  and  had  the  inquirer  met  with  any  who  had  known  the  original,  he  would 
doubtless  have  been  assured  that  it  was  a  capital  likeness  of  Saguahaor  Red  Jacket, 
that  noble  Seneca,  whose  wisdom,  eloquence,  and  patriotism  are  worthy  of  higher 
fame  than  will  probably  crown  the  champion  of  a  decaying  race.  Mr.  Mathies  de- 
voted considerable  time  and  employed  mar.ti  persuasion  to  induce  the  old  chief  to 
permit  a  portrait  to  be  taken.  Mr.  Mathies  was  a  person  of  eccentric  genius,  who  oc- 
casionally seized  the  pallet,  and  devoted  himself  for  some  weeks  or  months  to  a  pur- 
suit in  which  some  such  pieces  as  this  bear  evidence  of  his  ability.  It  may  be  ques- 
tioned whether  any  other  artist  ever  enjoyed  such  facilities  for  sketching  accurately 
the  lineaments  of  the  great  chief.  The  picture  is  now  owned  by  Dr.  John  B.  Elwood. 
The  portrait  of  Vincent  Mathews,  painted  by  request  of  the  junior  members  of  the 
Rochester  bar,  was  executed  by  Daniel  Steele,  formerly  of  this  city.  It  hangs  in  the 
courthouse.  The  miniature  portraits  of  General  Mathews  and  Colonel  Rochester, 
drawn  for  engravings  to  be  placed  in  the  Sketches  of  Rochester,  were  painted  by 
V.  Pason  Shaver,  who  has  just  relumed  to  the  city  after  practising  during  the 
winter  in  the  National  Academy  at  New- York.  The  portrait  of  General  Mathews 
was  drawn  from  life ;  that  of  Colonel  Rochester  from  a  painting  made  by  Harding  a 
few  years  before  Col.  R's.  death.  Where  there  are  so  many  hundreds  whose  ac- 
quuiiilance  with  the  subjects  enables  them  tojudgeof  the  correctness  of  the  portraits, 
it  is  needless  to  use  many  words  in  commending  the  fidelity  of  the  artist. 

A  portrait  of  Jesse  Hawley  was  drawn  by  G.  S.  Gilbert  of  Rochester  for  presentation 
by  Mr.  Hawley  himself  to  the  New- York  Historical  Society,  to  be  preserved  by  that 
body  in  eonne.\ion  with  his  early  writings  on  the  policy  of  the  Erie  Canal. 

John  T.  Young  is  the  artist  who  has  sketched  for  us  the  various  scenes  and  edi- 
fices represented  by  forty-two  engravings  in  this  volume.  To  those  who  are  ac- 
quainted with  the  aspect  of  things  at  Rochester,  it  is  needless  to  say  that  his  drawings 
are  remarkable  for  accuracy.  Mr.  Young  drew  some  large-sized  sketches  of  scenery  at 
Rochester— the  Middle  and  Lower  Falls,  &c. — which  were  published  a  couple  of 
years  ago  by  C.  and  M.  Morse,  booksellers,  and  which  form  appropriate  ornaments 
for  the  parlours  of  our  citizens.  As  a  landscape-drawer,  Mr.  Young  has  a  very 
respectable  rank  in  his  profession,  and  should  be  aided  by  a  liberal  patronage.  There 
are  many  scenes  in  and  around  the  city  which  might  be  depicted  by  him  in  such  way 
as  would  embellish  the  walls  of  the  best  finished  houses ;  and  we  hope  to  see  our 
wealthy  citizens  evince  their  taste  by  encouraging  art  in  this  way. 

Probably  the  earliest  artist  who  attempted  to  settle  on  the  banks  of  the  Genesee 
was  a  son  of  the  celebrated  Benjamin  West,  President  of  the  British  Royal  Academy, 
of  whom  Dunlap  relates  a  few  particulars  in  his  History  of  the  Arts  of  Design. 

"  In  1810  Raphael  West,  son  of  Benjamin  West,  visited  America,  to  improve  wild 
lands  ;  and  although  he  did  not  exert  his  talents  as  a  painter  for  the  public,  or  exhibit 
any  pictures  during  his  stay,  his  taste  had  influence  on  the  arts  of  the  country— for  the 
leaven  cannot  be  mingled  with  the  lump  and  produce  no  effect ;  and  the  drawings 
he  brought  with  him,  and  those  executed  during  his  residence  at  Bigtree  (between 
Geneseo  and  Moscow),  and  communicated  or  presented  to  his  friends,  must  be  con- 
sidered as  swelling  the  tide  of  western  art  by  a  copious  though  transient  shower. 
Disappointed,  discouraged,  and  homesick,  Raphael  gladly  broke  from  the  Big-tree 
prison,  to  return  to  the  paternal  home  in  Newman-street.    On  his  way  he  visited  me 


384*  SKETCHES    OF   ROCHESTER,    ETC. 

in  New-York.  His  anger  was  kindled  against  Wadsworth,  who,  like  a  true  American , 
saw  in  the  wilderness  ihe  paradise  whit:ti  was  to  grow  up  and  bloom  there,  but  which 
was  invisible  to  the  London  painter,  and,  if  possible,  still  more  so  to  his  London  wile. 
'  Would  you  believe  it,  Uunlap  ?  as  I  sat  drawing  by  a  lower  window,  up  inarched  a 
bear,  aa  if  to  take  a  lesson  !' " 

Falls  of  the  Genesee — Fate  of  Catlin. 
The  ill-fated  career  of  Catltn  should  not  be  left  unnoticed  in  connexion  with  the 
Falls  of  the  (icnesee  at  Rochester,  particularly  as  it  was  admiration  of  those  cala- 
raeis  which  occasioned  his  untimely  fate.  He  was  literally  a  martyr  to  his  love  of 
Nature,  and  expired  amid  a  scene  which  his  perceptions  of  the  "sublime  and  beauti- 
ful" caused  him  to  appreciate  with  an  enthusiasm  akiii  to  that  which  has  since  se- 
cured well-deserved  celebrity  for  lii.<»  brother,  the  unrivalled  picturer  of  the  character 
and  appearance  of  the  Red  Men  of  the  West. 

Admiration  of  the  worth  and  services  of  Oe  Witt  Cuntox  caused  the  Franklin 
Institute  of  Rochester  to  propose  a  subscrijition  among  the  citizens  for  securing  a 
portrait  of  that  statesman.  Catlin  was  the  artist  selected  for  the  task,  which  he  ac- 
complished before  starting  on  his  memorable  seven  years'  tour  among  the  wild  scenes 
and  wilder  men  of  the  West.  The  painting  was  brought  to  Rochester  by  the  brother 
of  whose  fate  we  now  speak. 

A  beautiful  morning  tempted  young  Catlin  to  saunter  along  the  banks  of  the  river 
to  the  Lower  Falls.  The  water  was  at  that  stage  whereat  tho.se  falls  appear  most 
beautiful.  The  young  artist  (for,  though  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  he  had  adopted 
the  profession  of  his  elder  brother)  descended  the  precipitous  banks  for  the  purpose  of 
admiring  the  scenery  from  the  margin  of  the  river  below  the  falls,  where  the  Genesee 
assumes  the  level  of  the  waters  of' Lake  Ontario.  The  view  of  the  cataract  and  of 
the  liigh  banks  between  which  the  river  has  worn  its  passage  is  beautiful  indeed. 
After  admiring  the  scenes  presented  by  some  curves  in  the  river-banks,  the  young 
artist  returned  close  to  the  fall.  Here  he  went  into  the  river  to  bathe,  or  perhaps  to 
get  a  view  of  the  cataract  from  the  centre  of  the  river  or  the  west  side.  But  a  short 
shrill  cry  of  agony  soon  warned  a  fisherman  that  the  swimmer  was  in  peril— and  the 
enthusiastic  artist  sunk  to  rise  no  more  with  life  ! 

The  suspicions  of  foul  play  entertained  against  the  fisherman — Ihe  only  spectator 
of  the  tragedy — were  dispelled  promptly  by  the  consequent  investigation ;  and  the 
belief  prevailed  that  death  resulted  from  cramp. 

Among  those  who  were  associated  with  the  writer  in  discharging  the  last  duties  to 
the  dead,  was  one  whose  pen  produced  some  lines  upon  the  melancholy  event.  In 
quoting  a  passage,  we  hoi)e  to  be  excused  for  naming  the  author,  Horatio  Gates 
Warnkr,  now  of  Chittenango. 

'   Metliought,  while  o'er  his  bier  the  many  gazed. 

Who  knew  but  of  his  name,  nor  friends  nor  home, 

Who  lent  a  hand  in  Christian  charity 

To  give  the  stranger  all  that  friends  can  hope— 

Methought  upon  the  loved  of  him  who  found 

A  watery  death,  untimely,  sad,  and  strange — 

Perhaps,  while  o'er  that  bosom  falls  the  earth, 

The  rattling  earth  that  hides  our  every  gaze, 

A  mother  sof\ly  heaves  a  prayer  to  Heaven 

To  guard  from  dangerous  chance  her  absent  son  : 

Perhaps,  while  not  a  teardrop  falls  upon 

The  turf  that  shields  a  once-fond  brother's  heart, 

Some  boding  spirit  steals  a  sister's  sigh. 

And  midnight  dreams  the  slumbers  haunt  of  Love : 

Perhaps,  while  strangers  chant  the  hymn  of  death, 

In  him  their  dearest  hopes  are  full  and  high: 

On  Fame's  broad  roll,  in  Fancy's  ken,  they  see 

Engraved  his  name  with  such  as  live  in  death— 

With  Hogarth,  Holbein,  Raphael,  Angelo — 

And  feel  the  joy  that  Genius  wins  from  Fame. 
Oh  !  it  is  bliss  to  feed  upon  the  hopes 

That  worth  and  talents  wake  for  those  we  love ! 

There  is  no  joy  that  warms  a  parent's  bosom 

That  is  of  purer,  heavenlier  glow  than  this  ! 
'  And  ah  !  no  ills  of  life  that  sicken  souls— 

That  crush  the  spirit  when  it  seems  most  bless'd. 

And  on  the  dearest  hopes  cast  deadliest  blight, 

Rolls  Sorrow's  cloud  more  chilly,  deeply  dark. 

Than  when  we  thus  must  mourn  the  wither'd  bud 

Of  Genius  cropp'd  by  rude  and  unlook'd  Fate- 
Denied  the  boon  to  close  his  dying  eyes. 

Or  pour  our  gushing  sorrow  o'er  his  grave  I" 


CARTHAGE  BRIDGE  AND  IRONDEQUOIT  BAY.       *385 

Carthage  Bridge. 

As  this  was  one  of  the  boldest  feats  in  bridge  building— remarkable  in  its  fate  as  in 
its  construction— some  account  of  the  structure  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  the  in- 
quirer after  the  "  Antiquities"  of  Rochester.  The  bridge  derived  its  name  from  a  vil- 
lage allotment  now  included  in  the  northern  part  of  the  City  of  Rochester.  It  crossed 
the  river  between  the  Lower  Falls  of  the  Gene.see  and  the  Ontario  Steamboat-Land- 
ing, at  a  point  where  the  precipitous  and  rocky  banks  are  upward  of  two  hundred  feet 
above  the  surface  of  the  river,  there  nearly  corresponding  with  the  level  of  Lake  Ontario. 

This  bridge  was  built  by  an  association  of  gentlemen  interested  in  property  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  river,  in  1818-19,  in  the  village  allotment  formerly  known  as  Car- 
thage. In  this  association  were  included  Elisha  B.  Strong,  Levi  H.  Clarke,  and 
Heman  Norton,  the  two  latter  now  residing  in  the  City  of  New- York.  The  boldness 
of  the  enterprise  causes  the  insertion  here  of  the  names  of  the  architects— Brainerd 
and  Chapman— as  well  as  of  the  projectors. 

"  The  bridge  was  completed  in  February,  1819,"  said  the  account  of  Rochester  and 
its  vicinity  in  1827.  "  It  consisted  of  an  entire  arch,  the  chord  of  which  was  352  feet, 
and  the  versed  sine  54  feet.  The  summit  of  the  arch  was  196  feet  above  the  surface 
of  the  water.  The  entire  length  of  the  bridge  was  718  feet,  and  the  width  30  feet — 
besides  four  large  elbow  braces,  placed  at  the  extremities  of  the  arch,  and  projecting 
15  feet  on  each  side  of  it. 

"  The  arch  consisted  of  nine  ribs,  two  feet  four  inches  thick,  connected  by  braced 
levellers  above  and  below,  and  secured  by  800  strong  iron  bolts.  The  feet  of  the 
arch  rested  upon  the  solid  rock,  about  60  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  upper  bank. 
Soon  after  the  completion  of  the  bridge,  loaded  wagons  with  more  than  thirteen  tons 
weight  passed  over  it  without  producing  any  perceptible  tremour.  It  contained  about 
70,000  feet  of  timber,  running  measure,  besides  64,620  feet  of  board  measure.  It  was 
built  in  the  first  place  upon  a  Gothic  arch,  the  vertex  of  which  was  about  20  feet  be- 
low the  floor  of  the  bridge,  and  was,  in  point  of  mechanical  ingenuity,  as  great  a 
curiosity  as  the  bridge  itself. 

"  The  famous  bridge  at  Schaff  hausen,  in  Switzerland,  which  stood  for  fifty  years 
the  pride  of  the  eastern  world,  was  but  twelve  feet  longer  span  than  the  Carthage 
Bridge  (in  what  is  now  the  City  of  Rochester).  The  most  lofty  single  arch  at  pres- 
ent in  Europe  is  116  feet  less  in  length  than  this  was,  and  the  arch  not  as  high  by 
96  feet. 

"  This  daring  work,  which  reflected  so  much  credit  on  the  enterprise  of  the  pro- 
jectors and  the  ingenuity  of  the  builders,  stood  but  about  one  year  [one  year  and  one 
day,  which  latter  period  saved  the  builders  from  the  loss,  as  they  guarantied  that  the 
structure  would  endure  one  year].  The  immense  weight  of  timber,  pressing  une- 
qually upon  the  arch,  threw  up  the  centre  from  its  equilibrium,  and  the  whole  tum- 
bled into  ruins,"  save  a  small  portion  of  the  framework  on  the  eastern  bank,  which 
is  represented  in  the  engraving  of  the  Lower  Falls,  but  which  has  recently  fallen  to 
the  earth,  its  few  decayed  limbers  forming  now  the  principal  memorial  on  the  spot  of 
the  ejcistence  of  the  remarkable  fabric. 

This  bridge  was  of  much  importance  to  the  settlements  on  the  banks  of  the  Gen. 
esee  River,  within  a  short  distance  of  the  t;elebrated  Rridge  Road — the  two  points  of 
which,  broken  by  the  river,  might  be  said  to  be  connected  by  it. 

The  scenery  around  this  place  is  picturesque  and  sublime — being  within  view  of 
two  waterfalls  of  the  Genesee,  which  have  upward  of  one  hundred  feet  descent. 

A  view  of  this  bridge,  as  it  appeared  at  its  aerial  height  apparently  almost  spanning 
the  cataracts  beside  it,  was  sketched  by  Gen.  John  A.  Dix,  the  present  secretary  of 
this  state,  while  travelling  in  this  region  in  1819.  Tlie  lateness  of  the  period  at  which 
the  view  came  into  our  possession  prevented  the  preparation  of  an  engraving  from  it 
for  this  work.  The  time  is  probably  not  far  distant  when  the  erection  of  a  suspen- 
sion bridge  at  this  romantic  spot  will  form  a  more  enduring  (though  not  more  re- 
markable) monument  of  enterprise  than  the  original  structure — when  the  traveller 
making  the  "  fashionable  tour"  may  note  this  scene  as  worthy  of  attention  in  common 
even  with  the  projected  bridge  at  Lewiston  across  the  Niagara. 

Irondequoit  Bay — Historical  Recollections,  etc. 
This  bay,  well  known  in  the  early  history  of  the  country,  is  now  wholly  unfitted 
for  navigation,  owing  to  the  sandbar  furmed  at  its  junction  with  Lake  Ontario.  It  is 
now  much  frequented  by  parties  from  Rochester  for  gunning,  fishing,  &c.  The  ge- 
ologist also  has  many  attractions  for  a  visit  thither;  for  "  on  the  borders  of  the  bay, 
and  of  the  creek  of  the  same  name  which  discharges  itself  there,  the  surface  of  the 
earth  presents  a  most  extraordinary  and  picturesque  appearance— a  multitude  of  con- 
ical or  irregular  mounds  of  sand  and  light  earth,  sometimes  insulated  and  sometimes 
united,  rising  to  an  average  height  of  200  feet  from  a  perfectly  level  meadow  of  the 
;  alluvial  loam." 

33 


386*  SKETCHES    OF   ROCHESTER,   ETC. 

The  history  of  Irondequoit  is  intimaiely  connected  with  that  of  the  Military  and  Tra- 
ding Posts  of  Western  New-York.  A  station  was  established  there  in  1726,  to  aid 
the  British  in  securing  the  trade  with  the  Western  Indians,  to  the  exclusion  of  ihe 
French  at  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Dnlario. 

In  connexion  with  the  fact  that  there  was  a  city  laid  ont  at  Irondequoit  Bay,  it  might 
be  mentioned  that  formerly  supplies  from  New- York,  destined  for  our  western  posts, 
were  sent  to  the  head  of  that  bay  (instead  of  the  Genesee  River),  there  freighted  in 
batteaux,  to  proceed  through  Lake  Ontario  to  Niagara  River— thence  to  be  taken 
across  the  portage  to  P'ort  Schlosser;  and  there  re-embarked  to  proceed  up  the  Niag- 
ara River,  tlirough  Lake  Erie,  &c.  The  city  was  laid  out  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  near 
the  route  of  the  present  road  between  (Jariandaigua  and  Rochester. 

It  may  amuse  some  readers  to  learn  that  Maude,  a  traveller  in  1800,  mentions  that 
the  cargo  of  a  schooner  which  sailed  from  Cienesee  River  for  Kingston,  Upper  (;anada, 
had  "  been  sent  from  Canandarqua  fur  Rundicut  Bay,  and  from  thence  in  boats  round 
about  to  Genesee  River  Landing,"  for  shipment  in  the  above  schooner.  [The  cargo 
thus  circuitously  Ibrwarded  from  ('aiiandaigua  was  potash — and  "  no  potash  was 
then  made  about  Irondequoit  or  Genesee  Landings  for  want  of  kettles"  in  1800.] 

The  mouth  of  Iron(leqin>it  is  about  four  miles  eastward  of  Genesee  River  on  Lake 
Ontario;  and  the  bay  extends  southwardly  about  five  miles,  nearly  to  the  present 
main -travelled  route  through  Brighton  between  Rochester  and  Canandaigua. 

"  The  Teoronlo  Bay  of  Lake  Ontario,"  says  Spafford,  "  merits  more  particular 
notice,  if  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  speak  of  Gerundcgut,  Irondequoit,  and  Rundi- 
cut— names  by  which  it  is  also  known.  The  Indians  called  it  '  Teoronto' — a  sono- 
rous and  purely  Indian  name,  loo  good  to  be  supplanted  by  such  vulgarisms  as  Gerun- 
degut  or  Irondequoit  I  The  bay  is  about  five  miles  long  and  one  mile  wide,  commu- 
nicating with  the  lake  by  a  very  narrow  opening— or  such  it  used  to  have— and  Teo- 
ronto, or  Tche-o-ron-tok,  perhaps  rather  nearer  the  Indian  pronunciation,  is  the  place 
vihere  the  waves  breathe  and  die,  or  gasp  and  expire.  Let  a  person  of  as  much  dis- 
cernment as  these  savages  watch  the  motion  of  the  waves  in  this  bay,  and  he  will 
a<lniire  the  aptitude  of  its  name,  and  never  again  pronounce  Gerundegut,  Irondequoit, 
or  Kuiidicut." 

Irondequoit  Embanl-ment. 

One  of  the  greatest  curiosities  connected  with  the  internal  improvements  of  the 
state  is  the  great  embankment  for  conducting  the  Erie  Canal  across  the  valley  of 
Irondequoit  Creek,  a  few  miles  southward  ot  the  junction  of  that  creek  with  the  head 
of  the  bay  of  the  same  name.  The  embankment,  under  which  the  creek  proceeds 
through  a  large  culvert,  is  about  1500  feel  long  and  about  80  feet  high  above  the 
waters  of  the  creek. 

This  great  work,  which  will  be  rendered  still  more  wonderful  by  the  increased 
dimensions  consequent  on  enlarging  the  canal,  is  about  ten  rnile.s  eastward  of  Ro- 
chester. The  falls  of  the  Irondequoit  'Jreek  aflbrd  some  valuable  hydraulic  privileges 
here  and  at  the  village  of  Peiifield. 

First  Oxen  used  in  the  Genesee  Valley — Tragical  Circumstances 
connected  loith  their  Capture. 
In  connexion  with  these  historical  matters,  we  may  notice  some  facts  respecting 
the  achievements  of  our  Genesee  Indians.  The  circumstances  connected  with  the 
first  oxen  used  in  the  Genesee  Valley  rank  among  the  most  tragical  incidents  in  the 
history  of  the  country.  Singular  as  it  may  seem,  the  capture  of  those  cattle  from  the 
British  by  the  Senecas  was  one  of  the  results  of  the  conspiracy  formed  by  the  great 
Ottawa  chief  Pontiac  for  combining  the  northern  and  western  tribes  in  a  simultane- 
ous movement  for  destroying  the  power  of  the  white  man  by  suddenly  capturing  the 
British  posts  throughout  the  immense  extent  of  inland  frontier.  This  was  in  1763, 
after  the  close  of  the  war  between  the  French  and  British,  in  which  the  former  sur- 
rendered to  the  latter  their  Canadian  possessions  and  various  forts  like  those  of 
Niagara,  Detroit,  Michillimackinac,  &c.  The  sagacious  and  warlike  spirit  of  Pontiac 
■was  eminently  displayed  in  this  wide-spread  conspiracy,  which  embraced  most  of  the 
northern  and  western  tribes,  including  [lart  of  the  Six  Nations,  whose  partial  temporary 
disaflection  to  the  British  was  previously  manifested  by  the  junction  of  the  Senecas  par- 
ticularly as  allies  with  the  French.  Most  of  the  forts  on  the  northwestern  frontiers 
■were  captured  by  Indians  of  the  various  combined  tribes  ;  Fort  Pitt  (now  Pittsburg), 
Detroit,  and  Niagara  alone  being  saved  from  the  savages.  Farmer's  Brother,  who 
■was  friendly  to  Phelps  and  others  of  our  early  settlers,  was  the  chief  of  the  Senecas 
that  destroyed  the  British  force  at  the  Devil's  Hole  on  the  Niagara,  where  were  cap- 
tured the  oxen  that  were  brought  to  the  Genesee  Flats,  &cc.  The  circumstances  of 
this  bloody  tragedy  were  these :  Sir  William  Johnson  employed  William  Stedinan  to 
cut  a  portage  road  around  Niagara  Falls,  from  Fort  Niagara  at  Lake  Ontario  to  Fort 
Schlosser  above  the  falls.    The  road  was  completed  in  June,  1763.    Although  this 


RIDGE    ROAD    AND    BRADDOCk's    BAY.  *3S7 

was  a  little  before  the  period  fixed  for  surprising  the  British  garrisons,  the  Senecas, 
under  their  chief,  Farmer's  Brother,  seized  the  opportunity  to  cut  off  a  detachment 
sent  to  convoy  the  military  stores  which  Stedman  had  contracted  to  transport  by 
teams  from  the  vessels  on  Lake  Ontario  at  Fort  Niagara  to  the  vessels  at  Schlosser 
which  were  to  take  those  warlike  munitions  to  the  posts  on  Lake  Erie  and  the  upper 
lakes.  The  soldiers  and  teamsters  were  ninety-six  in  number  ;  and  so  unconscious 
•were  they  of  danger  that  the  latter  were  gayly  whistling  and  singing  alongside  their 
teams,  when  the  warwhoop  of  the  Senecas  was  instantaneously  followed  by  a  rush  of 
savages,  which  suddenly  swept  into  eternity  all  but  four  persons  of  the  ninety-six 
who  formed  the  convoy.  Stedman  escaped  on  horseback ;  and  the  other  three  jumped 
off  the  awful  precipice,  where  so  many  of  their  comrades  had  been  driven  half  mur- 
dered by  the  Indians.  These  three  escaped,  but  were  severely  wounded ;  one  of  them 
having  been  caught  by  his  drumstrap  in  a  branch  of  a  tree.  The  drum  floating  down 
the  river,  furnished  the  garrison  of  Fort  Niagara  with  the  first  intelligence  of  the  ca- 
lamity, and  produced  among  them  a  degree  of  vigilance  which  preserved  the  fort 
from  being  surprised,  as  most  of  the  garrisons  on  the  frontier  were  immediately  after. 
The  Senecas  became  reconciled  to  the  British  soon  after  by  a  treaty  with  Sir  William 
Johnson,  and  in  the  revolutionary  war  sided  with  the  royalists.  Farmer's  Brolher  was 
highly  esteemed  by  our  early  settlers,  and  was  less  unfriendly  to  the  whites  generally 
than  his  contemporary  Red  Jacket.  Stedman  had  bestowed  upon  him  by  the  Senecas  a 
large  piece  of  land  at  the  scene  of  this  awful  tragedy  ;  the  gratuity  resulting  from  a 
superstitious  belief  of  the  Indians  that  he  was  a  favourite  of  the  Great  Spirit,  as  other- 
wise he  could  not,  they  supposed,  have  escaped  the  balls  which  they  sent  whistling 
around  him  when  they  fired  from  their  ambuscade.  Such  is  an  outline  of  the  bloody 
scene  from  which  the  first  oxen  ever  used  on  the  Genesee  Flats  were  borne  off  with 
other  plunder  by  the  Seneca  warriors. 

The  Ridge  Road. 

The  Ridge  Road,  which  forms  such  an  excellent  highway  on  the  southern  shore  of 
Lake  Ontario,  furnishes  not  merely  an  admirable  convenience  for  the  traveller,  but  a 
fruitful  source  of  speculation  to  the  geologist  and  antiquarian.  It  is  probably  the 
most  remarkable  natural  road  in  the  world  ;  and  its  conformation  and  other  circum- 
stances are  important  links  in  the  chain  of  evidence  respecting  the  ancient  height  of 
Lake  Ontario  and  the  mysterious  people  by  wliom  this  land  was  occupied  before  the 
present  race  of  red  men  acquired  possession. 

As  this  ridge  runs  eastward  and  westward  near  the  north  line  of  the  City  of  Ro- 
chester ;  as  it  is  travelled  by  multitudes  particularly  between  Rochester  and  Niagara 
River,  some  information  respecting  it  may  not  be  considered  irrelevant  now.  The 
acute  perception  and  philosophic  mind  of  De  Witt  Clinton  have  invested  this 
ridge  with  a  degree  of  interest  usually  imparted  to  all  topics  subjected  to  their  scru- 
tiny. His  remarks  may  be  found  in  the  Appendix,  page  380-1 ;  and,  in  connexion 
with  them,  we  recommend  the  reader  to  examine  the  interesting  remarks  of  Professor 
Dewey  in  the  Geological  Sketches,  pages  81-2-3. 

Braddock'^s  Bay. 

It  is  rather  amusing  in  these  limes  to  notice  how  prominently  Braddock's  Bay 
figured  as  a  landing-place  before  Rochester  was  known.  "  The  nearest  ports  to  the 
Genesee  River,"  says  a  traveller  who  wrote  in  1800,  "  are  Rundicut  Bay,  five  miles 
to  the  east,  and  Bradloe  Bay,  thirteen  miles  to  the  west.  The  first  is  situate  on  a 
creek,  the  channel  of  which  is  diflicult  to  be  discerned  in  the  marsh  through  which  it 
takes  its  tortuous  course ;  and  from  the  shallowness  of  the  water  it  is  obliged  to  send 
its  produce  to  the  Genesee  River  in  batteaux.  Four  or  five  families  are  settled  at 
Rundicut,  but  Bradloe  is  abetter  situation,  and  a  more  flourishing  settlement." 

Braddock's  Bay  is  the  name  now  commonly  used,  but  the  place  is  designated  in 
accounts  of  former  years  as  Prideaux  Bay,  as  well  as  Bradloe  Bay.  We  imagine 
that  Prideaux  was  the  name,  and  that  it  was  given  by  or  in  honour  of  that  General 
Prideaux  who  was  killed  at  the  head  of  the  British  army  when  assailing  the  French 
at  Fort  Niagara  in  1759,  where  he  was  succeeded  in  the  command  by  Sir  William 
Johnson,  to  whom  the  French  surrendered  that  fort. 

Like  Irondequoit  Bay,  Braddock's  is  now  much  frequented  by  anglers  and  gunners 
from  Rochester  and  the  surrounding  country,  as  fish  and  game  are  in  considerable 
abundance. 

Hanforffs  Landing. 

This  is  the  name  of  a  small  settlement  between  Rochester  and  Lake  Ontario,  on 

the  west  bank  of  the  Genesee  River.     It  is  a  .short  distance  from  the  point  where 

"  the  ridge,"  running  eastward  and  westward,  is  broken  through  by  the  ravine  formed 

by  the  course  of  the  river  running  northwardly. 


388*  SKETCHES    OF    ROCHESTER,  ETC.     ' 

A  settlement  was  formed  here  in  1796.  In  1800  the  English  traveller  Mande  men- 
tions that,  as  he  could  not  find  any  accommodaiions  for  refreshment — "not  even  a 
stable  for  his  horse" — at  the  place  where  the  City  of  Rochester  has  since  sprung  into 
existence,  he  "  was  obliged  to  proceed  to  (Jideon  King's,  at  the  Genesee  Landing, 
where  [he]  got  a  good  breakfast  on  wild-pigeons.  Mr.  King  is  the  only  respectable 
settler  in  this  township(No.  1,  short  range),  in  which  there  are  at  present  twelve  fami- 
lies, four  of  whom  have  established  themselves  at  the  Landing.  King,  though  the  pro- 
prietor of  3000  acres,  lives  in  an  indifferent  loghouse :  one  reason  for  this  is,  that  he  has 
not  been  able  to  procure  boards.  The  Landing  is  the  port  from  whence  all  the  shipments 
of  the  Genesee  River  must  be  nude;  but  lurther  improvements  are  much  checked  in 
consequence  of  the  titles  to  the  lands  being  in  dispute.  The  circumstances  are  as 
follow  :  Mr.  Phelps  sold  3000  acres  in  this  neighbourhood  to  Zadok  Granger  for  about 
$10,000,  the  payment  being  secured  by  a  mortgage  on  the  land.  Granger  died  soon 
after  his  removal  here ;  and  having  sold  part  of  the  land,  the  residue  would  not  clear 
the  mortgage,  which  prevented  his  heirs  from  administering  on  his  estate.  Phelps 
foreclosed  the  mortgage  and  entered  on  possession,  even  on  that  part  which  had  been 
already  sold  and  improved.  Some  settlers,  in  consequence,  left  their  farms — oth- 
ers repaid  the  purchase  money — and  others,  again,  are  endeavouring  to  make  some 
accommodation  with  Mr.  Phelps  A  son  of  Mr.  Granger  resides  here,  and  Mr. 
Greaves,  his  nephew,  became  also  a  settler,  erected  the  frame  of  a  good  house,  and 
died.  The  Landing  is  at  present  an  unhealthy  residence,  but  when  the  woods  get  more 
opened  it  will  no  doubt  become  as  healthy  as  any  other  part  of  the  Genesee  country. 
1  went  to  see  the  new  store  and  wharf  It  is  very  difficult  to  get  goods  conveyed  to 
and  from  the  wharf,  in  consequence  of  the  great  height  and  steepness  of  the  bank." 

As  illustrative  of  the  condition  of  things  in  the  way  of  roads  as  well  as  navigable 
facilities,  we  may  note  a  remark  of  the  traveller,  that  "yesterday,  Aug.  18,  1800,  a 
schooner  of  forty  tons  sailed  from  this  Landing  for  Kingston,  U.  C.,  laden  with  pot- 
ash, which  had  been  sent  from  Ganandarqua  to  Rundicut  I3ay,and  from  thence  round 
about  in  boats  to  this  (Genesee)  Landing." 

"  This  Landing,"  adds  Maude,  "  is  four  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  where 
two  log-huts  are  built  at  its  entrance  into  Lake  Ontario.  [See  'Charlotte,' as  tha 
village  now  at  the  junction  of  river  and  lake  is  called.]  At  this  Landing  the  chan- 
nel runs  close  along  shore,  and  has  thirty  feet  depth  ;  but  upon  the  bar  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  the  water  shoals  to  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet.  [See  account  of  the  Har- 
bour of  Rochester.]  This  place  is  about  equally  distant  from  the  eastern  and  western 
limits  of  Lake  Ontario,  and  opposite  to  its  centre  and  widest  parts,  being  here  about 
eighty  [sixty]  miles  across."' 

"Jn  January,  1810,  Frederic  Ilanford  opened  a  store  of  goods  at  what  was  called 
the  Upper  Landing  or  Falltown— the  name  of  Genesee  Landing  was  no  longer  strictly 
ajiplicable,  as  another  Landing  had  been  established  at  the  junction  of  the  river  and 
lake,  at  the  village  called  Charlotte.  Hanford's  was  the  first  merchant's  store  on  the 
river  between  Avon  and  Lake  Ontario— a  distance  of  about  twenty-flve  miles.  Hence 
the  place  ha.s  since  been  termed  "  Hanford's  Landing." 

In  the  same  year  Silas  O.  Smith  opened  a  store  at  Hanford's  Landing,  but  in  1813 
removed  to  the  new  village  of  Rochester,  where  he  built  the  first  merchant's  store  ; 
the  plat  of  Rochester  having  been  planned  only  the  previous  season. 

As  at  the  present  Steamboat-Lamling  on  the  river  at  the  north  part  of  the  City  of 
Rochester,  railways  were  used  to  facilitate  the  transit  of  freight  between  the  top  of 
the  bank  at  Hanford's  Landing  and  the  warehouses  or  vessels  on  the  margin  of  the 
river.  The  railway,  the  warehouses,  and  the  wharves  at  Hanford's  were  burned  in 
1635. 

Charlotte. 

This  is  the  name  of  a  village  situate  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Genesee  River,  at  the 
junction  of  that  stream  with  Lake  Ontario.  It  is  about  five  miles  north  of  the  nor- 
therly bounds  of  the  City  of  Rochester.  In  1810,  pursuant  to  projects  for  connecting 
the  trade  of  the  lakes  with  that  of  ihe  Susquehanna,  &c.,  a  state-road  was  laid  out  from 
Charlotte  to  Arkport.  In  that  year,  Jonathan  Child  and  Benjamin  H.  Gardiner,  who 
had  a  store  in  Bloomfield,  established  another  at  Charlotte,  but  soon  discontinued  it. 

Frederic  Bushnell  and  Samuel  Latta  soon  afterward  commenced,  and  long  continued 
mercantile  business  in  Charlotte.  In  1822  a  lighthouse  was  built  by  the  United 
States,  and  the  entrance  of  the  river  has  been  much  improved  for  navigation  by  the 
piers  constructed  under  liberal  appropriations  from  the  same  source.  (See  account 
of  the  Harbour  of  Rochester.)  During  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain,  Charlotte 
was  not  unfrequently  visited  by  the  British  fleet— a  notice  of  one  of  which  visits  is 
included  in  the  article  on  the  "  Effects  of  the  Last  War  upon  the  Prosperity  of  Ro- 
chester." The  place  was  named  after  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Troup,  former  agent  of 
the  Pulteney  Estate. 


APPENDIX. 


THE   RECENT    INDIAN    OCCUPANTS    OF    WESTERN   NEW-YORK. 

The  frequent  references  in  this  work  to  the  Iroquois  or 
Six  Nations  may  render  some  farther  particulars  acceptable 
to  the  generality  of  readers.  The  history  of  that  remarkable 
confederacy  is  unsurpassed  in  interest  by  that  of  any  similar 
people  in  any  age  or  country.  Those  who  might  have  been 
inclined  to  smile  at  the  comparison  in  some  respects  between 
the  Six  Nations  and  the  Greeks  and  Romans  (p.  105),  are 
referred  to  the  testimony  of  Clinton  and  Dwight  on  the  char- 
acteristics of  the  savages  (as  they  are  called)  thus  named  in 
connexion  with  two  of  the  most  remarkable  nations  of  an- 
tiquity. "  The  Iroquois  have  certainly  been  a  very  extraor- 
dinary people,"  said  President  Dwight.  "  Had  they  enjoyed 
the  advantages  possessed  by  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  there 
is  no  reason  to  believe  they  would  be  at  all  inferior  to  these 
celebrated  nations.  Their  minds  appear  to  have  been  equal 
to  any  efforts  within  the  reach  of  man.  Their  conquests,  if 
we  consider  their  numbers  and  their  circumstances,  were 
little  inferior  to  those  of  Rome  itself.  In  their  harmony,  the 
unity  of  their  operations,  the  energy  of  their  character,  the 
vastness,  vigour,  and  success  of  their  enterprises,  and  the 
strength  and  sublimity  of  their  eloquence,  they  may  be  fairly 
compared  with  the  Greeks.  Both  the  Greeks  and  the  Ro- 
mans, before  they  began  to  rise  into  distinction,  had  already 
reached  the  state  of  society  in  which  men  are  able  to  improve. 
The  Iroquois  had  not.  The  Greeks  and  Romans  had  ample 
means  for  improvement :  the  Iroquois  had  none." 

As  a  knowledge  of  the  history  and  character  of  the  Six 
Nations  will  be  found  particularly  interesting  in  connexion 
with  the  arrangements  which  we  have  noticed  for  the  extinc- 
tion of  their  claims  upon  Western  New- York,  the  discourse 
delivered  by  De  Witt  Clinton  upon  the  subject  is  placed  in 
this  Appendix.  We  had  partly  prepared  a  sketch  of  the 
history  of  the  confederacy,  when  this  discourse  met  our 
29 


338  APPENDIX. 

view ;  and  as  our  examinations  of  the  subject  served  but  to 
increase  our  admiration  of  the  manner  in  which  it  was  handled 
by  Mr.  Clinton,  we  determined  to  present  his  essay  in  pref- 
erence to  the  briefer  statement  which  we  had  contemplated. 
The  account  of  Mr.  Clinton,  besides  its  intrinsic  merits, 
will  have  for  most  readers  the  additional  charm  of  novelty; 
for,  though  dated  in  1811,  it  has  not  been  published  in  a 
manner  accessible  to  the  people  generally  of  Western  New- 
York — certainly  not  to  the  citizens  of  Rochester,  anterior  to 
the  origin  of  whose  city  it  was  delivered.  Though  composed 
before  Mr.  Clinton  attained  much  of  that  celebrity  which 
forms  an  important  item  in  the  "  moral  property"  of  his 
countrymen,  the  discourse  will  be  found  nowise  unworthy  of 
his  fame. 

The  recent  treaty  for  the  removal  westward  of  the  shat- 
tered fragments  of  the  Six  Nations  will  doubtless  quicken 
the  interest  now  awakening  to  the  researches  respecting  the 
career  of  those  tribes.  The  antiquarian  may  find  in  their 
history  and  in  the  ancient  ruins  indicating  the  preoccupancy 
of  their  country  by  other  people,  much  food  for  contempla- 
tion in  connexion  with  the  wonderful  discoveries  in  Central 
America. 

"The  parallel  between  the  people  of  America  and  Asia 
affords  this  important  conclusion,"  said  Dr.  Mitchill ;  "that 
on  both  continents  the  hordes  dwelling  in  higher  latitudes 
have  overpowered  the  more  civilized,  though  feebler,  inhab- 
itants of  the  countries  situate  towards  the  equator.  As  the 
Tartars  have  overrun  China,  so  the  Aztecs  have  subdued 
Mexico  ;  as  the  Huns  and  Alains  desolated  Italy,  so  the 
Chippewas  and  Iroquois  destroyed  the  populous  settlements 
on  both  banks  of  the  Ohio,  &c.  The  surviving  race  in  these 
terrible  conflicts  between  the  different  nations  of  the  ancient 
residents  of  North  America  is  evidently  that  of  Tartars, 
from  the  similarity  of  features,  language,  customs,  &c. 
Think,"  adds  Dr.  Mitchill,  "  what  a  memorable  spot  is  our 
Onondaga,  where  men  of  the  Malay  race  from  the  south- 
west, of  the  Tartar  blood  from  the  northwest,  and  of  the 
Gothic  stock  from  the  northeast,  have  successively  contended 
for  the  supremacy  and  rule,  and  which  may  be  considered 
as  having  been  possessed  by  each  long  enough  before  Co- 
lumbus made  his  world-seeking  voyages." 

The  conquests  of  the  Iroquois  were  not  limited  by  the 
Ohio,  as  might  be  inferred  from  the  foregoing ;  for  a  Seneca 


THE    SIX    NATIONS.  339 

warrior,  whose  ancient  relict  but  recently  expired,  was  in  his 
youth  engaged  in  expeditions  against  the  Cherokees  and 
other  tribes  as  far  south  as  Mobile  River,  in  one  of  which 
forays  the  Catawba  tribe  was  almost  exterminated  by  the 
warlike  tribes  from  Western  New-York.  (Vide  note  A.) 
How  interesting  such  facts  become  when  considered  in  con- 
nexion with  the  ancient  condition  of  this  continent,  which, 
though  commonly  called  the  New  World,  bears  in  its  cen- 
tral regions  stupendous  monuments  of  a  people  whose  an- 
tiquity irresistibly  impels  us  to  comparisons  with  the  Egyp- 
tians and  the  Israelites  of  old.  Voluminous  and  splendid 
works  are  now  issuing  from  the  European  press,  displaying 
the  interest  awakened  abroad  with  reference  to  this  subject. 
Some  of  the  prominent  periodical  publications  of  Europe,  as 
well  as  this  country,  have  embarked  earnestly  in  the  investi- 
gation. Criticising  the  theory  ingeniously  supported  by  a 
British  antiquarian,  the  Foreign  Quarterly  Review  declares 
that  "  Lord  Kingsborough's  startling  supposition  that  the 
great  temple  of  Palenque  [in  Central  America]  and  the  tem- 
ple of  Solomon  were  built  after  the  same  model,  has  more 
truth  in  it  than  would  at  first  sight  appear.  There  exists, 
in  fact,  a  strong  resemblance  between  some  of  the  details  of 
both  :  and  the  resemblance  arises  from  there  being  one  Syr- 
iac  model  for  both.  If  his  lordship  had  merely  argued  for 
the  similarity  of  the  ground-plan  of  both,  we  should  have 
been  prompted  to  concur  with  his  inference.  We  will  go 
further,  and  say  that  the  model  of  the  final  Jewish  temple 
which  Ezekiel  describes  as  a  future  point  of  reunion  for  the 
whole  restored  and  united  Jewish  family — and  which  either 
imitates  or  supercedes  that  of  Solomon — is  almost  precisely 
lilee  the  model  of  the  temple  of  Palenque — as  like,  in  many 
respects,  as  anticipative  description  can  be  supposed  to  coin- 
cide with  an  extant  exhibition  of  the  same  model  !"  The 
foreign  reviewer  observes  elsewhere — "  The  tradition  of  the 
Mexican  or  Azteque  race  (for  their  identity  is  seemingly  es- 
tablished) is,  that  they  came  from  the  regions  of  North 
America — that,  after  an  interrupted  progress  of  many  years, 
they  reached  the  central  district  which  they  occupied  at  the 
time  of  the  Spanish  conquest,  where  they  subdued  the  Tul- 
teques  ;  and  all  the  evidences  to  be  collected  from  their  cu- 
rious records  tend  to  substantiate  the  truth  of  their  assertion. 
It  is  therefore  extremely  probable  (and  it  exhibits  a  singular 
coincidence  between  the  history  of  the  New  and  the  Old 


340  APPENDIX. 

World)  that  savage  tribes  descending  from  the  same  nor- 
thern regions  of  Asiatic  Scythia,  whence  all  barbarian  ir- 
ruptions have  proceeded,  and  traversing  Behring's  Straits, 
pressed  downward  in  America,  as  they  did  in  Europe  and 
Asia  from  time  immemorial,  upon  the  tempting  seats  of 
southern  civilization,  and,  expelling  the  occupants  by  con- 
quest, established  themselves  in  their  room.  The  picture- 
writings  of  the  Azteques  exhibit  the  whole  progress  of  this 
barbarous  irruption,  from  the  time  when,  hke  the  present 
arctic  savages,  armed  with  fishbone  spears  and  clothed  in 
skins,  they  commenced  the  long  vicissitudes  of  their  aggres- 
sive march,  down  to  the  time  when,  invested  with  a  more 
civilized  costume  and  panoplied  in  complete  suits  of  armour, 
with  the  dentated  clubs  and  condor-visored  helmets,  pecu- 
liar to  them,  they  are  seen  successively  vanquishing  the  re- 
sistance, burning  the  temples,  and  storming  the  fortresses  of 
the  Central  Americans." 

AVhen  the  subject  is  viewed  in  this  interesting  light,  we 
think  we  may  be  pardoned  for  the  space  devoted  to  consid- 
erations on  the  former  occupants  and  the  existing  antiquities 
of  Western  New-York.  Well  might  the  American  Quar- 
terly Review  exclaim  (in  1828)  with  reference  to  such  re- 
searches— "There  is  a  strange  and  mysterious  interest 
awakened  whenever  we  inquire  into  the  history  of  bygona 
ages.  Darkness  and  doubt  enveloping  their  annals,  serve 
only  to  render  our  curiosity  more  intense ;  and  we  eagerly 
catch  at  the  most  insignificant  monuments  or  remains  of  peo- 
ple that  have  passed  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  in  the  hopes 
of  being  by  them  enabled  to  pierce  the  opaque  medium 
which  obscures  their  annals.  As  the  interval  of  time  that 
separates  our  epoch  from  theirs  increases,  so  also  increases 
the  ardour  of  inquiry  ;  and  thus  we  find  ourselves  more  and 
more  powerfully  attracted,  as  we  proceed  step  by  step  to 
consider  the  mouldering  tombs  of  the  fathers  of  cur  own  na- 
tion ;  the  remains  of  rude  art  and  of  savage  tribes  that  pre- 
ceded them  in  their  occupation  of  this  country  ;  the  mounds, 
the  pyramids,  and  other  traces  of  a  more  civilized  race  of 
yet  earlier  date  ;  and  the  more  perfect  relics  of  the  power, 
the  arts,  and,  we  may  almost  venture  to  say,  the  science  of 
the  Aztecs." 

But  we  will  no  longer  detain  the  reader  from  that  which 
will  interest  him  far  more  than  any  speculations  which  we 
could  offer.    The  theory  is  particularly  worthy  of  note  which 


THE    SIX    NATIONS.  341 

seizes  the  geological  aspect  of  the  Ridge  Road  as  illustra- 
tive of  the  antiquities  of  western  New- York. 

A  Discourse  on  the  History  of  the  Six  Nations,  delivered 
by  De  Witt  Clinton,  in  1811. 

There  is  a  strong  propensity  in  the  human  mind  to  trace 
up  our  ancestry  to  as  high  and  as  remote  a  source  as  possi- 
ble ;  and  if  our  pride  and  our  ambition  cannot  be  gratified 
by  a  real  statement  of  facts,  fable  is  substituted  for  truth,  and 
the  imagination  is  taxed  to  supply  the  deficiency.  This 
principle  of  our  nature,  although  liable  to  great  perversion, 
and  frequently  the  source  of  well-founded  ridicule,  may,  if 
rightly  directed,  become  the  parent  of  great  actions. 

The  origin  and  progress  of  individuals,  of  families,  and  of 
nations,  constitute  Biography  and  History,  two  of  the  most 
interesting  departments  of  human  knowledge. 

Allied  to  this  principle,  springing  from  the  same  causes 
and  producing  the  same  benign  eft'ects,  is  that  curiosity  which 
we  feel  in  tracing  the  history  of  the  nations  that  have  oc- 
cupied the  same  territory  before  us,  although  not  connected 
with  us  in  any  other  respect.  "  To  abstract  the  mind  from 
all  local  emotion,"  says  an  eminent  moralist,  "  would  be  im- 
possible if  it  were  endeavoured,  and  it  would  be  foolish  if  it 
were  possible."  The  places  where  great  events  have  been 
performed — where  great  virtues  have  been  exhibited — where 
great  crimes  have  been  perpetrated — will  always  excite 
kindred  emotions  of  admiration  or  horror.  And  if  "  that 
man  is  little  to  be  envied  whose  patriotism  would  not  gain 
force  upon  the  plains  of  Marathon,  or  whose  piety  would  not 
grow  warmer  among  the  ruins  of  lona,"  we  may  with  equal 
confidence  assert  that  morbid  must  be  his  sensibility  and 
small  must  be  his  capacity  for  improvement  who  does  not 
advance  in  wisdom  and  in  virtue  from  contemplating  the  state 
and  the  history  of  the  people  who  occupied  this  country  be- 
fore the  man  of  Europe. 

As  it  is  therefore  not  uninteresting,  and  is  entirely  suitable 
to  this  occasion,  I  shall  present  a  general  geographical,  po- 
litical, and  historical  view  of  the  red  men  who  inhabited  this 
state  before  us  ;  and  this  I  do  the  more  willingly,  from  a 
conviction  that  no  part  of  America  contained  a  people  which 
will  furnish  more  interesting  information  and  more  useful  in- 
struction— which  will  display  the  energies  of  the  human 
29* 


342  APPENDIX. 

character  in  a  more  conspicuous  manner,  whether  in  light  or 
in  sliatle — in  the  exhibition  of  great  virtues  and  talents,  or  of 
great  vices  and  defects. 

In  1774*  the  government  of  Connecticut,  in  an  official 
statement  to  the  British  secretary  of  state,  represented  the 
original  title  to  the  lands  of  Connecticut  as  in  the  Pequot 
nation  of  Indians,  who  were  numerous  and  warlike ;  that  their 
great  sachem,  Sassacus,  had  under  him  twenty-six  sachems  ; 
and  that  their  territory  extended  from  Narraganset  to  Hud- 
son's River  and  over  all  Long  Island.  The  Long  Island  In- 
dians, who  are  represented  as  very  savage  and  ferocious, 
were  called  Meilowacks  or  Meilowacks,  and  the  island  itself 
Meitowacks.f  The  Mohucoris,  Mahatons,  or  Manhattans, 
occupied  New- York  Island  and  Staten  Island.  The  Mohe- 
gans,  whose  original  name  was  Muhhekanew,  were  settled 
on  that  part  of  the  state  east  of  Hudson's  River  and  below 
Albany  ;  and  those  Indians  on  the  west  bank,  from  its  mouth 
to  the  Kaatskill  Mountains,  were  sometimes  denominated 
Wabingie  and  sometimes  Sankikani ;  and  they  and  the  Mo- 
hegans|  went  by  the  general  appellation  of  River  Indians  ; 
or,  according  to  the  Dutch,  Mohickanders.  Whether  the 
Mohegans  were  a  distinct  nation  from  the  Pequots^  has 
been  recently  doubted,  although  ihey  were  formerly  so  con- 
sidered. One  of  the  early  historians  asserts  that  the  Nar- 
ragan-sets,  a  powerful  nation  in  New-England,  held  domin- 
ion over  part  of  Long  Island. If 

The  generic  name  adopted  by  the  French  for  all  the  In- 
dians of  New-England  was  Abenaquis  ;  and  the  country, 
from  the  head  of  Chesapeake  Bay  to  the  Kittatinney  Mount- 
ains, as  far  eastward  as  the  Abenaquis,  and  as  far  north- 
ward and  westward  as  the  Iroquois,  was  occupied  by  a  na- 
tion denominated  by  tliemselves  the  Lenni-lenapi — by  the 
French,  Loups — and  by  tlie  English,  Delawares.||  Mr. 
Charles  Thompson,  formerly  Secretary  of  Congress,  sup- 
posed that  this   nation  extended  east  of  Hudson's  River  to 


*  7  vol.  Collections  of  Massachusetts  Hist.  Society,  p.  231. 

t  Smith's  History  of  New- York,  p.  262. 

t  Jefferson's  Notes  on  Virginia,  p.  310.  1  vol.  Collections  of  the 
New- York  Historical  Society,  p.  33,  34.  Barton's  Views  of  the  Origin 
of  the  Indians,  p.  31.    Trumbull's  History  of  the  United  States,  p.  43. 

^  Trumbull's  History  of  Connecticut,  p.  28. 

If  1  vol.  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  p.  144,  &c. 

II  Barton's  Views,  p.  25.     Jefferson's  Notes,  p.  310,  &c. 


THE   SIX   NATIONS.  343 

Connecticut  River,  and  over  Long  Island,  New-York  Island, 
and  Staten  Island  ;  and  Mr.  Smith,  in  his  History  of  New- 
York,  says,  that  when  the  Dutch  commenced  the  settlement 
of  the  country,  all  the  Indians  on  Long  Island  and  the  nor- 
thern shore  of  the  Sound,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecti- 
cut and  Hudson  River,  were  in  subjection  to  and  paid  an 
annual  tribute  to  the  Five  Nations.*  Mr.  Smith's  statement, 
therefore,  does  not  accord  with  this  fact,  nor  with  the  al- 
leged dominion  of  the  Pequots  and  Narragansets  over 
Long  Island.  New- York  was  settled  before  Connecticut, 
and  the  supremacy  of  the  Iroquois  was  never  disturbed  ;  and  it 
probably  prevailed  at  one  time  over  Long  Island,  over  the 
territory  as  far  east  as  Connecticut  River,  and  over  the  In- 
dians on  the  west  banks  of  the  Hudson.  The  confusion  on 
this  subject  has  probably  arisen  from  the  same  language  be- 
ing used  by  the  Delawares  and  Abenaquis  ;  but,  indeed,  it 
is  not  very  important  to  ascertain  to  which  of  these  nations 
the  red  inhabitants  of  that  portion  of  the  state  may  be  prop- 
erly referred.  They,  in  process  of  time,  became  subject  to 
the  Iroquois,  and  paid  a  tribute  in  wampum  and  shells.! 
Their  general  character  and  conduct  to  the  first  Europeans 
they  probably  had  ever  seen  have  been  described  in  Hud- 
son's Voyoge  up  the  North  River. J  And  it  is  not  a  little 
remarkable  that  the  natives  below  the  Highlands  were  offen- 
sive and  predatory,  while  those  above  rendered  him  every 
assistance  and  hospitality  in  their  power.  Of  all  these 
tribes,  about  nine  or  ten  famihes  remain  on  Long  Island  ; 
their  principal  settlement  is  on  a  tract  of  1000  acres  on 
Montauk  Point.  The  Stockbridge  Indians  migrated  from 
Hudson's  River  in  1734  to  Stockbridge,  in  Massachusetts : 
from  whence  they  removed  about  the  year  1785  to  lands  as- 
signed them  by  the  Oneidas  in  their  territory.^  The  Broth- 
ertown  Indians  formerly  resided  in  Narraganset,  in  Rhode 
Island,  and  in  Farmington,  Stonington,  Mohegan,  and  some 

*  It  is  certain  that  the  Montacket  Sachem,  so  called  in  former  times, 
on  the  east  end  of  Long  Island,  paid  tribute  in  wampum  to  the  con- 
federated colonies  of  Massachusetts,  Plymouth,  Connecticut,  and  New- 
Haven,  for  at  least  ten  years  previous  to  1656.  (2  Hazard's  Collec- 
tions of  State  Papers,  p.  361.) 

t  Smith's  History  of  New-York.  Colden's  History  of  the  Five 
Nations. 

t  Purchas's  Pilgrims,  vol.  iii.,  p.  58.  1  vol.  New- York  Historical 
Collections,  p.  102. 

^  4  vol.  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  p.  67,  &c.        -       -    ■  .  - 


344  APPENDIX. 

Other  towns  in  Connecticut,  and  are  a  remnant  of  the  Muh- 
hekanew  Indians,  formerly  called  the  Seven  Tribes  on  the 
seacoast.  Tliey  also  inhabit  lands  presented  to  them  by 
the  Oneidas.  These  Indians  and  the  Slockbridge  In- 
dians, augmented  in  a  small  degree  by  migrations  from  the 
Long  Island  Indians,  have  formed  two  settlements,  which, 
by  an  accurate  census  taken  in  1794,  contained  450  souls. 
But  the  greater  pan  of  the  Indians  below  Albany  retreated 
at  an  early  period  from  the  approach  of  civilized  man,  and 
became  merged  in  the  nations  of  the  north  and  the  west.  As 
far  back  as  1687,  just  after  the  destruction  of  the  Mohawk 
castles  by  the  French,  Gov.  Dongan*  advised  the  Five  Na- 
tions to  open  a  path  for  all  the  North  Indians  and  Mohickan- 
ders  that  were  among  the  Ottawas  and  other  nations,  and 
to  use  every  endeavour  to  bring  them  home. 

The  remaining  and  much  the  greatest  part  of  the  slate 
was  occupied  by  the  Romans  of  this  Western  World,! 
who  composed  a  federal  republic,  and  were  denominated  by 
the  English  the  Five  Nations,  the  Six  Nations,  the  Confed- 
erates— by  the  French,  the  Iroquois — by  the  Dutch,  the 
Maquas  or  Mahaknase — by  the  southern  Indians,  the  Mas- 
sawomacs — by  themselves,  the  Mingos  or  Mingoians — and 
sometimes  the  Aganuschione  or  United  People,  and  their 
confederacy  they  styled  the  Renunctioni.| 

The  dwelling-lands  of  this  confederacy  were  admirably 
adapted  for  convenience,  for  subsistence,  and  for  conquest. 
They  comprise  the  greatest  body  of  the  most  fertile  lands  in 
North  America  ;  and  they  are  the  most  elevated  grounds  in  the 
United  States,  from  whence  the  waters  run  in  every  direc- 
tion. The  Ohio,  the  Delaware,  the  Susquehannah,  the 
Hudson,  and  the  St.  Lawrence — almost  all  the  great  rivers, 
besides  a  very  considerable  number  of  secondary  ones,  ori- 
ginate here,  and  are  discharged  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  by 
the  Mississippi  River,  into  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  by  the 
St.  Lawrence  River,  or  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean  by  various 
channels.     Five  great  inland  seas  reach  upward  of  2000 

*  Colden's  Hist.  Five  Nations,  vol.  i.,  p.  85,  &c. 

t  Volney's  View  of  tiie  United  States,  p.  470-476.  1  Colden's  Five 
Nations,  p.  4,   5. 

t  1  vol.  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  p.  144,  &c.  1  vol.  Pownall  on  the  Col- 
onies, p.  235.  Smith's  History  of  New-Jersey,  p.  136.  Morse's  Gaz- 
eteer,  title  Six  Nations.  Jefferson's  Virginia,  p.  140.  Smith's  Hist. 
New- York,  p.  4,  5. 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  345 

miles  through  a  considerable  part  of  this  territory,  and  af- 
ford an  almost  uninterrupted  navigation  to  that  extent.  By 
these  lakes  and  rivers  the  Confederates  were  enabled  at 
all  times  and  in  all  directions  to  carry  war  and  destruc- 
tion among  the  surrounding  and  the  most  distant  nations. 
And  their  country  also  abounds  with  other  lakes,  some 
of  great  size — Lake  Champlain,  formerly  called  the  Sea 
of  the  Iroquois ;  Lake  George,  the  Saratoga,  the  One- 
ida, the  Canadesaga  or  Seneca,  the  Cayuga,  the  Otsego,  the 
Skaneatelas,  the  Canandaigua,  the  Cross,  the  Onondaga, 
the  Otisco,  the  Owasco,  the  Crooked,  the  Conesus,  the 
Hemlock,  the  Honeoye,  the  Chatauque,  the  Caniaderaga, 
and  the  Canasoraga — composing,  in  number  and  extent,  with 
the  five  great  lakes,  the  greatest  mass  of  fresh  water  to  be 
found  in  the  world. 

In  addition  to  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  we  may  mention  the 
mildness  of  the  climate  to  the  west  of  the  Onondaga  hills — 
the  salubrity  and  the  magnificent  scenery  of  the  country. 
The  numerous  waters  were  stored  with  the  salmon,  the  trout, 
the  muscalunge,  the  white  fish,  the  shad,  the  rock-fish,  the 
sturgeon,  the  perch,  and  other  fish  of  various  kinds  ;  and 
the  forests  abounded  with  an  incredible  number  and  variety 
of  game.  The  situation  of  the  inhabitants  was  rendered 
very  eligible  from  these  sources  of  subsistence,  connected 
with  a  very  productive  soil ;  for  they  had  passed  over  the 
pastoral  state,  and  followed  agriculture  as  well  as  fishing 
and  hunting.  The  selection  of  this  country  for  a  habitation 
was  the  wisest  expedient  that  could  have  been  adopted  by  a 
military  nation  to  satiate  their  thirst  for  glory,  and  to  extend 
their  conquests  over  the  continent ;  and  if  they  preferred  the 
arts  of  peace,  there  was  none  better  calculated  for  this  im- 
portant purpose.  In  a  few  days  their  forces  could  be  seen 
— their  power  could  be  felt,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  or  the 
Missouri,  on  the  waters  of  the  Hudson  or  the  St.  Lawrence, 
or  in  the  bays  of  Delaware  or  Chesapeake. 

It  is  not  a  little  difficult  to  define  the  territorial  limits  of 
this  extraordinary  people,*  for  on  this  subject  there  are  the 
most  repugnant  representations  by  the  French  and  English 
writers,  arising  from  interest,  friendship,  prejudice,  and  en- 

*  Rogers's  concise  Account  of  North  America,  p.  6.  ]  Golden,  37. 
1  Pownall  on  the  Colonies,  235,  &c.  Smith's  New- York,  58-179,  &q. 
Douglass's  Summary,  11,  &c.  Pownall's  Geographical  Description, 
&c.     Charlevoix,  Historie  Generale  de  la  Nouvelle  France,  &c. 


346  APPENDIX. 

miiy.  While  the  French,  on  the  one  hand,  were  involved 
in  continual  hostility  with  them,  the  English,  on  the  other 
hand,  were  connected  by  alliance  and  by  commerce.  By 
the  15th  article  of  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  concluded  in  1713, 
it  was  stipulated  "  that  the  subjects  of  France  inhabiting 
Canada  and  others  shall  hereafter  give  no  hinderance  or  mo- 
lestation to  the  Five  Nations  or  cantons  subject  to  the  do- 
minion of  Great  Britain."*  As  between  France  and  Eng- 
land the  Confederates  were  therefore  to  be  considered  as  the 
subjects  of  the  latter,  and  of  course  the  British  dominion 
was  coextensive  with  the  rightful  territory  of  the  Five  Can- 
tons, it  then  became  the  policy  of  France  to  diminish  and 
that  of  England  to  enlarge  tliis  territory.  But,  notwith- 
standing the  confusion  which  has  grown  outof  these  clashing 
interests  and  conttradictory  representations,  it  is  not  perhaps 
very  far  from  the  truth  to  pronounce  that  the  Five  Na- 
tions were  entitled  by  patrimony  or  conquest  to  all  the  ter- 
ritory in  the  United  States  and  in  Canada  not  occupied  by 
the  Creeks,  the  Chcrokees,  and  the  other  southern  Indians, 
by  the  Sioux,  the  Killisteneaux,  and  the  Chippewas — and 
by  the  English  and  French,  as  far  west  as  the  Mississippi 
and  liake  Winnipeg,  as  far  northwest  as  the  waters  which 
unite  this  lake  and  Hudson's  Bay,  and  as  far  north  as  Hud- 
son's Bay  and  Labrador.  The  Five  Nations  claim,  says 
Smith,  "  all  the  land  not  sold  to  the  English,  li-om  the  mouth 
of  Sorrel  River,  on  the  south  side  of  Lakes  Erie  and  Onta- 
rio, on  both  sides  of  the  Ohio,  till  it  falls  into  the  Mississip- 
pi ;  and  on  the  north  side  of  these  lakes,  that  whole  territory 
between  the  Oltawas  River  and  Lake  Huron,  and  even  be- 
yond the  straits  between  that  and  L^ke  Erie."  The  prin- 
cipal point  of  dispute  between  the  English  and  French  was, 
whether  the  dominion  of  the  Confederates  extended  north  of 
the  great  lakes  :  but  I  think  it  is  evident  that  it  did.  It  is 
admitted  by  several  French  writers  that  the  Iroquois  had 
several  villages  on  the  north  side  of  Lake  Ontario,  and  they 
are  even  laid  down  on  the  maps  attached  to  Charlevoix  ;  and 
it  cannot  be  denied  but  that  they  subdued  the  Hurons  and 
Algonkins,  who  lived  on  that  side  of  the  great  lakes,  and, 
consequently,  were  entitled  to  their  country  by  the  rights  of 
conquest.  The  true  original  name  of  the  great  river  now 
called  St.  Lawrence  was  the  River  of  the  Iroquois — thereby 

*  Chalmer's  Collection  of  Treaties,  vol.  i.,  p.  382. 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  347 

indicating  that  they  occupied  a  considerable  portion  at  least  of 
its  banks.  Douglass  estimates  their  territory  as  about  1200 
miles  in  length  from  north  to  south,  and  from  700  to  800 
miles  in  breadth.  This  was  either  hereditary  or  conquered. 
Their  patrimonial  and  part  of  their  conquered  country  were 
used  for  the  purposes  of  habitation  and  hunting.  Their 
hunting-grounds  were  very  extensive,  including  a  large  tri- 
angle on  the  southeast  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River — the 
country  lying  on  the  south  and  east  sides  of  Lake  Erie— 
the  country  between  the  Lakes  Erie  and  Michigan,  and  the 
country  lying  on  the  north  of  Lake  Erie  and  northwest  of 
Lake  Ontario,  and  between  the  Lakes  Ontario  and  Huron. 
All  the  remaining  part  of  their  territory  was  inhabited  by  the 
Abenaquis,  Algonkins,  Shawanese,  Delawares,  Illinois,  Mi- 
amies,  and  other  vassal  nations. 

The  acquisition  of  supremacy  over  a  country  of  such  ama- 
zing extent  and  fertility,  inhabited  by  warlike  and  numerous 
nations,  must  have  been  the  result  of  unity  of  design  and 
system  of  action,  proceeding  from  a  wise  and  energetic 
policy  continued  for  a  long  course  of  time.  To  their  social 
combinations,  military  talents,  and  exterior  arrangements, 
we  must  look  for  this  system,  if  such  a  system  is  to  be  found. 

The  Confederates  had  proceeded  far  beyond  the  first  ele- 
ment of  all  associations,  that  of  combination  into  families  ; 
they  had  their  villages,  their  tribes,  their  nations,  and  their 
Confederacy ;  but  they  had  not  advanced  beyond  the  first 
stage  of  government.  They  were  destitute  of  an  executive 
and  judiciary  to  execute  the  determinations  of  their  councils; 
and  their  government  was,  therefore,  merely  advisory  and 
without  a  coercive  principle.  The  respect  which  was  paid 
to  their  chiefs,  and  the  general  odium  that  attached  to  diso- 
bedience, rendered  the  decisions  of  their  Legislatures  for  a 
long  series  of  years  of  as  much  validity  as  if  they  had  been 
enforced  by  an  executive  arm. 

They  were  originally  divided  into  five  nations :  the  Mo- 
hawks, the  Oneidas,  the  Onondagas,  the  Cayugas,  and  the 
Senecas.  In  1712  the  Tuscaroras,  who  lived  on  the  back 
parts  of  North  Carolina,  and  who  had  formed  a  deep  and 
general  conspiracy  to  exterminate  the  whites,  were  driven 
from  their  country,  were  adopted  by  the  Iroquois  as  a  sixth 
nation,  and  lived  on  lands  between  the  Oneidas  and  Ononda- 
gas, assigned  to  them  by  the  former.* 

*  Smith's  New-York,  46.     Douglass's  Sunraiary,  243. 


348  APPENDIX. 

The  Mohawks  had  four  towns  and  one  small  village  sit- 
uate on  and  near  the  fertile  banks  of  the  river  of  that  name. 
The  position  of  the  first  was  at  the  confluence  of  the  Scho- 
harie Creek  and  Mohawk  River,  and  the  others  were  farther 
to  the  west.  This  nation,  from  their  propinquity  to  the  set- 
tlements of  the  whites,  from  their  martial  renown  and  mili- 
tary spirit,  have,  like  Holland,  frequently  given  their  name  to 
the  whole  Confederacy,  which  is  often  denominated  the  Mo- 
hawks in  the  annals  of  those  days  ;  and  it  may  be  found 
employed  in  the  pages  of  a  celebrated  periodical  writer  of 
Great  Britain  for  the  purpose  of  the  most  exquisite  humour.* 
This  nation  was  always  held  in  the  greatest  veneration  by 
its  associates.  At  the  important  treaty  of  1768  at  Fort 
>Stanwix,  by  Sir  William  Johnson,  they  were  declared  by 
the  other  nations  "  the  true  old  heads  of  the  Confederacy."! 

The  Oneidas  had  their  principal  seat  on  the  south  of  the 
Oneida  Lake,  the  Onondagas  near  the  Onondaga,  and  the 
Cayugas  near  the  Cayuga  Lake.  The  principal  village  of 
the  Senecas  was  near  the  Genesee  River,  about  twenty 
miles  from  Irondequoit  Bay. 

Each  nation  was  divided  into  three  tribes  ;  the  Tortoise, 
the  Bear,  and  the  Wolf;  and  each  village  was,  like  the  cities 
of  the  United  Netherlands,  a  distinct  republic;  and  its  con- 
cerns were  managed  by  its  particular  chiefs.^  Their  exte- 
rior relations,  general  interests,  and  national  affairs  were 
conducted  and  superintended  by  a  great  council,  assembled 
annually  in  Onondaga,  the  central  canton,  composed  of  the 
chiefs  of  each  republic  ;  and  eighty  sachems  were  frequently 
convened  at  this  national  assembly.  It  took  cognizance 
of  the  great  questions  of  war  and  peace  ;  of  affairs  of  the  trib- 
utary nations,  and  of  their  negotiations  with  the  French  and 
English  colonies.  All  their  proceedings  were  conducted 
with  great  deliberation,  and  were  distinguished  for  order, 
decorum,  and  solemnity.  In  eloquence,  in  dignity,  and  in 
all  the  characteristics  of  personal  policy,  they  surpassed  an 
assembly  of  feudal  barons,  and  were,  perhaps,  not  far  inferior 
to  the  great  Amphyctionic  Council  of  Greece.  Dr.  Robert- 
son, who  has  evinced,  in  almost  every  instance,  a  strong 
propensity  to  degrade  America  below  its  just  rank  in  the 

*  Spectator. 

t  The  proceedings  of  this  treaty  were  never  published.     I  have  seen 
them  in  manuscript  in  the  possession  of  Governor  George  Clinton. 
t  See  Charlevoix,  Golden,  &c. 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  34§ 

scale  of  creation,  was  compelled  to  qualify  the  generality  of 
his  censures  in  relation  to  its  political  institutions  by  saying, 
*'  If  we  except  the  celebrated  league  which  united  the  Five 
Nations  in  Canada  into  a  federal  republic,  we  can  discern 
few  such  traces  of  political  wisdom  among  the  rude  Ameri- 
can tribes  as  discover  any  great  degree  of  foresight  or  extent 
of  intellectual  abilities.'"* 

A  distinguished  feature  in  the  character  of  the  Confederates 
was  AN  EXALTED  spiKiT  OF  LIBERTY,  whicli  revolted  with 
equal  indignation  at  domestic  or  foreign  control.  "  We  are 
born  free,"  said  Garangula  in  his  admirable  speech  to  the 
governor-general  of  Canada  ;  "  we  neither  depend  on  Onon- 
thio  or  Corlear"! — on  France  or  on  England.  Baron  La- 
hontan,  who  openly  avowed  his  utter  detestation  and  abhor- 
rence of  them,  is  candid  enough  to  acknowledge  that  "  they 
laugh  at  the  menaces  of  kings  and  governors,  for  they  have 
no  idea  of  dependance ;  nay,  the  very  word  is  to  them  in- 
supportable. They  look  upon  themselves  as  sovereigns, 
accountable  to  none  but  God  alone,  whom  they  call  the  Great 
Spirit."  They  admitted  of  no  hereditary  distinctions.  The 
office  of  sachem  was  the  reward  of  personal  merit ;  of  great 
wisdom  or  commanding  eloquence  ;  of  distinguished  services 
in  the  cabinet  or  in  the  field.  It  was  conferred  by  silent  and 
general  consent,  as  the  spontaneous  tribute  due  to  eminent 
worth ;  and  it  could  only  be  maintained  by  the  steady  and 
faithful  cultivation  of  the  virtues  and  accomplishments  which 
procured  it.  No  personal  slavery  was  permitted  ;J  their 
captives  were  either  killed  or  adopted  as  a  portion  of  the  na- 
tion. The  children  of  the  chiefs  were  encouraged  to  emulate 
the  virtues  of  their  sires,  and  were  frequently  elevated  to  the 
dignities  occupied  by  their  progenitors.  From  this  source 
has  arisen  an  important  error  with  respect  to  the  establish- 
ment of  privileged  orders  among  the  Confederates. 

There  is  a  striking  similitude  between  the  Romans  and  the 
Confederates,  not  only  in  their  martial  spirit  and  rage  for  con- 
quest, but  in  their  treatment  of  the  conquered.  Like  the 
Romans,  they  not  only  adopted  individuals,  but  incorporated 
the  remnant  of  their  vanquished  enemies  into  their  nation, 

*  1  Robertson's  America,  p.  485. 

t  See  this  speech  in  Appendix  No.  I. ;  taken  from  "  New  Voyages 
to  North  America,  by  Baron  Lahontan,  Lord-Ueutenant  of  the  French 
colonies  at  Placentia,  in  Newfoundland,  &c.,  2  vols.  London,  1703." 

t  1  Golden,  p.  11. 

30 


350  APPENDIX. 

by  which  they  continually  recruited  their  population,  ex- 
hausted by  endless  and  wasting  wars,  and  were  enabled  to 
continue  their  career  of  victory  and  desolation  :  if  their  un- 
happy victims  hesitated  or  refused,  they  were  compelled  to 
accept  of  the  honours  of  adoption.  Tlie  Hurons  of  the 
Island  of  Orleans,  in  1656,  knowing  no  other  way  to  save 
themselves  from  destruction,  solicited  admission  into  the 
canton  of  the  Mohawks,  and  were  accepted  ;  but,  at  the  in- 
stance of  the  French,  ihey  declined  their  own  proposal.  On 
this  occasion  the  Mohawks  continued  their  ravages  and  com- 
pelled acquiescence  ;  they  sent  thirty  of  their  warriors  to 
Quebec,  wiio  took  them  away  with  the  consent  of  the  gover- 
nor-general— he,  in  fact,  not  daring  to  refuse — after  having 
addressed  him  in  the  following  terms  of  proud  defiance, 
which  cannot  but  bring  to  our  recollection  similar  instances 
of  Roman  spirit  when  Rome  was  free  :*  "  Lift  up  thy  arm, 
Ononthio,  and  allow  thy  children,  whom  thou  boldest  pres- 
sed to  thy  bosom,  to  depart ;  for  if  they  are  guilty  of  any 
imprudence,  have  reason  to  dread,  lest,  in  coming  to  chastise 
them,  my  blows  fall  on  thy  head."  Like  the  Romans  also, 
they  treated  their  vassal  nations  with  extreme  rigour.  If 
there  were  any  delay  in  the  rendering  of  the  annual  tribute, 
military  execution  followed,  and  the  wretched  delinquents 
frequently  took  refuge  in  the  houses  of  the  English  to  escape 
from  destruction.  On  all  public  occasions  they  took  care  to 
demonstrate  their  superiority  and  dominion,  and  at  all  times 
they  called  their  vassals  to  an  awful  account,  if  guilty  of  vi- 
olating the  injunctions  of  the  great  council.  At  a  treaty  held 
on  the  forks  of  the  Delaware,  in  1758,  by  the  Governors  of 
Pennsylvania  and  New-Jersey,  with  the  Six  Nations,  sev- 
eral claims  of  the  Munsees,  Wapings,  and  other  Delaware 
Indians,  for  lands  in  the  latter  province,  were  adjudged  and 
satisfied  under  the  cognizance  of  the  Confederates,  who  or- 
dered them  to  deliver  up  their  prisoners  and  to  be  at  peace 
with  the  English,  and  who  assumed  a  dictatorial  tone,  and 
appeared  to  exercise  absolute  authority  over  the  other  In- 
dians.f  At  a  former  conference  on  this  subject,  a  Munsee 
or  Minisink  Indian  had  spoken  sitting,  not  being  allowed  to 
stand,  until  a  Cayuga  chief  had  spoken — when  the  latter 
thus  expressed  himself — "I,  who  am  the  Mingoian,  am  by 

*  Herriot's  History  of  Canada,  79.     (This  work  is   a  compilation, 
principally  from  Charlevoix.) 

t  Smith's  New- Jersey,  466,  &c. 


THE    SIX   NATIONS. 

this  belt  to  inform  you  that  the  Munseys  are  women,  and 
cannot  hold  treaties  for  themselves  ;  therefore  I  am  sent  to 
inform  you  that  the  invitation  you  gave  the  Munseys  is 
agreeable  to  us  the  Six  Nations." 

At  a  treaty  held  at  Lancaster  in  1742  by  the  Governor  of 
Pennsylvania  vi'ith  the  Iroquois,  the  governor  complained  of 
the  Delawares,  who  refused  to  remove  from  some  lands 
which  they  had  sold  on  the  River  Delaware.*  On  this  oc- 
casion a  great  chief,  called  Caunassateegoo,  after  severely 
reprimanding  them,  and  ordering  them  to  depart  from  the 
land  immediately  to  Wyoming  or  Shamokin,  concluded  in 
the  following  manner  : — "  After  our  just  reproof  and  abso- 
lute order  to  depart  from  the  land,  you  are  now  to  take 
notice  of  what  we  have  further  to  say  to  you.  This  siring 
of  wampum  serves  to  forbid  you,  your  children  and  grand- 
children, to  the  latest  posterity,  from  ever  meddling  in  land 
affairs — neither  you  nor  any  who  shall  descend  from  you  are 
ever  hereafter  to  sell  any  land.  For  this  purpose  you  are  to 
preserve  this  string,  in  memory  of  what  your  uncles  have 
this  day  given  you  in  charge.  We  have  some  other  business 
to  transact  with  our  brethren,  and  therefore  depart  the  coun- 
cil, and  consider  what  has  been  said  to  you."  The  Confed- 
erates had  captured  a  great  part  of  the  Shawanese  nation, 
who  lived  on  the  Wabash ;  but  afterward,  by  the  mediation 
of  Mr.  Penn,  at  the  first  settlement  of  Pennsylvania,  gave 
them  liberty  to  settle  in  the  western  parts  of  that  province  ; 
but  obliged  them,  however,  as  a  badge  of  their  cowardice,  to 
wear  female  attire  for  a  long  time  ;  and  some  nations,  as  low 
down  as  1769,  were  not  permitted  to  appear  ornamented 
with  paintf  at  any  general  meeting  or  congress  where  the 
Confederates  attended,  that  being  an  express  article  in  their 
capitulations. I  This  humiliation  of  the  tributary  nations 
was,  however,  tempered  with  a  paternal  regard  for  their  in- 
terests in  all  negotiations  with  the  whites  ;  and  care  was 
taken  that  no  trespass  should  be  committed  on  their  rights, 
and  that  they  should  be  justly  dealt  with  in  all  their  con- 
cerns. 

War  was  the  favourite  pursuit  of  this  martial  people,  and 
military  glory  their  ruling  passion.     Agriculture  and  the  la- 

*    1  Golden,  31.  t  Rogers's  Concise  Account,  &.C.,  209,  &c. 

t  This  is  the  Shawanese  nation  who,  under  the  auspices  of  their 
prophet,  had  an  engagement  at  Tippecanoe  with  the  army  under  the 
command  of  Gen.  Harrison. 


352  APPENDIX. 

borious  drudgery  of  domestic  life  were  left  to  the  women. 
The  education  of  the  savage  was  wholly  directed  to  hunting 
and  war.  From  his  early  infancy  he  was  taught  to  bend  the 
bow,  to  point  the  arrow,  to  hurl  the  tomahawk,  and  to  wield 
the  club.  He  was  instructed  to  pursue  the  footsteps  of  his 
enemies  through  the  pathless  and  unexplored  forest;  to 
mark  the  most  distant  indications  of  danger;  to  trace  his 
way  by  the  appearances  of  the  trees  and  by  the  stars  of 
heaven  ;  and  to  endure  fatigue,  and  cold,  and  famine,  and 
every  privation.  He  commenced  his  career  of  blood  by 
hunting  the  wild  beasts  of  the  woods,  and  after  learning  the 
dexterous  use  of  the  weapons  of  destruction,  he  lifted  his 
sanguinary  arm  against  his  fellow-creatures.  The  profes- 
sion of  a  warrior  was  considered  the  most  illustrious  pur- 
suit ;  their  youth  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  they  could 
march  against  an  enemy  with  all  the  avidity  of  an  epicure 
for  the  sumptuous  dainties  of  a  Heliogabalus.  And  this 
martial  ardour  was  continually  thwarting  the  pacific  counsels 
of  the  elders,  and  enthralling  them  in  perpetual  and  devasta- 
ting wars.  With  savages  in  general,  this  ferocious  propen- 
sity was  impelled  by  a  blind  fury,  and  was  but  little  regu- 
lated by  the  dictates  of  skill  and  judgment :  on  the  contrary, 
with  the  Iroquois,  war  was  an  art.  All  their  military  move- 
ments were  governed  by  system  and  policy.  They  never 
attacked  a  hostile  country  until  they  had  sent  out  spies  to  ex- 
plore and  to  designate  its  vulnerable  points  ;  and  whenever 
they  encamped,  they  observed  the  greatest  circumspection 
to  guard  against  surprise  :  whereas  the  other  savages  only 
sent  out  scouts  to  reconnoitre  ;  but  they  never  went  far  from 
the  camp,  and  if  they  returned  without  perceiving  any  signs 
of  an  enemy,  the  whole  band  went  quietly  to  sleep,  and 
were  often  the  victims  of  their  rash  confidence.* 

Whatever  superiority  of  force  the  Iroquois  might  have, 
they  never  neglected  the  use  of  stratagems :  they  employed 
all  the  crafty  wiles  of  the  Carthaginians.  The  cunning  of 
the  fox,  the  ferocity  of  the  tiger,  and  the  power  of  the  lion, 
were  united  in  their  conduct.  They  preferred  to  vanquish 
their  enemy  by  taking  him  off  his  guard  ;  by  involving  him  in 
an  ambuscade  ;  by  falling  upon  him  in  the  hour  of  sleep  ;  but 
when  emergencies  rendered  it  necessary  for  them  to  face  him 
in  the  open  field  of  battle,  they  exhibited  a  courage  and  con- 
tempt of  death  which  have  never  been  surpassed, 

*  Golden,  110.     Herriot,  15. 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  353 

Although  we  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  they  were, 
generally  speaking,  Anthropophagi,  yet  we  have  no  doubt 
but  that  they  sometimes  eat  the  bodies  of  their  enemies  killed 
in  battle,  more,  indeed,  for  the  purpose  of  exciting  their 
ferocious  fury  than  for  gratifying  their  appetite — like  all 
other  savage  nations,  they  delighted  in  cruelty.  To  inflict 
the  most  exquisite  torture  upon  their  captive  ;  to  produce 
his  death  by  the  most  severe  and  protracted  sufferings,  was 
sanctioned  by  general  and  immemorial  usage.  Herodotus 
informs  us  that  the  Scythians  (who  were,  in  all  probability, 
the  ancestors  of  the  greater  part  of  our  red  men)  drank  the 
blood  of  their  enemies,  and  suspended  their  scalps  from  the 
bridle  of  their  horses  for  a  napkin  and  a  trophy  ;  that  they 
used  their  sculls  for  drinking  vessels,  and  their  skins  as  a 
covering  for  their  horses.*  In  the  war  between  the  Cartha- 
ginians and  their  mercenaries,  Gisco,  a  Carthaginian  gener- 
al, and  700  prisoners  (according  to  Polybius),  were  scalped 
alive  ;  and  in  return,  Spendius,  a  general  of  the  mercenaries, 
was  crucified,  and  the  prisoners  taken  in  the  war  thrown 
alive  to  the  elephants. f  From  these  celebrated  nations  we 
may  derive  the  practice  of  scalping,  so  abhorrent  to  human- 
ity ;  and  it  is  not  improbable,  considering  the  maritime  skill 
and  distant  voyages  of  the  PhcBnicians  and  Carthaginians, 
that  America  derives  part  of  its  population  from  thai  source 
by  water,  as  it  undoubtedly  has  from  the  northeast  parts  of 
Asia  by  land,  with  the  exception  of  a  narrow  strait. 

But  the  Five  Nations,  notwithstanding  their  horrible  cru- 
elty, are  in  one  respect  entitled  to  singular  commendation 
for  the  exercise  of  humanity  :  those  enemies  they  spared  in 
battle  they  made  free  ;  whereas,  with  all  other  barbarous  na- 
tions, slavery  was  the  commutation  of  death.  But  it  becomes 
not  us,  if  we  value  the  characters  of  our  forefathers  ;  it  be- 
comes not  the  civilized  nations  of  Europe  who  have  had 
American  possessions,  to  inveigh  against  the  merciless  con- 
duct of  the  savage.  His  appetite  for  blood  was  sharpened 
and  whetted  by  European  instigation,  and  his  cupidity  was 
enlisted  on  the  side  of  cruelty  by  every  temptation.  In  the 
wars  between  France  and  England  and  their  colonies,  their 
Indian  allies  were  entitled  to  a  premium  for  every  scalp  of 
an  enemy.  In  the  war  preceding  1703,  the  government  of 
Massachusetts  gave  £12  for  every  Indian  scalp ;  in  that 

*  Beloe's  Herodotus,  3  vol.,  p.  419.  f  Polybius,  b.  1,  c.  6. 

30* 


354  APPENDIX. 

year  the  premium  was  raised  to  £40 ;  but  in  1722  it  was 
augmented  £100.*  An  act  was  passed  on  the  25th  Febru- 
ary, 1745,  by  our  colonial  legislature,  entitled  "An  act  for 
giving  a  reward  for  such  scalps  and  prisoners  as  shall  be 
taken  by  the  inhabitants  of  (or  Indians  in  alliance  with)  this 
colony,  and  to  prevent  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  and  county 
of  Albany  from  selling  rum  to  the  Indians."!  In  1746  the 
scalps  of  two  Frenchmen  were  presented  to  one  of  our  colo- 
nial governors  at  Albany  by  three  of  the  confederate  In- 
dians ;  and  his  excellency,  after  gratifying  them  with  money 
and  fine  clothes,  assured  them  how  well  he  took  this  special 
mark  of  their  fidelity,  and  that  he  would  always  remember 
this  act  of  friendship.^  The  employment  of  savages,  and 
putting  into  their  hands  the  scalping-knife  during  our  revo- 
lutionary war,  were  openly  justified  in  the  House  of  Lords 
by  Lord  Suffolk,  the  British  Secretary  of  State,  who  vindi- 
cated its  policy  and  necessity,  and  declared  "  that  the  meas- 
ure was  also  allowable  on  principle  ;  for  that  it  was  per- 
fectly justifiable  to  use  all  the  means  that  God  and  nature 
had  put  into  their  hands. "^  The  eloquent  rebuke  of  Lord 
Chatham  has  perpetuated  the  sentiment,  and  consigned  its 
author  to  immortal  infamy.  It  were  to  be  wished,  for  the 
honour  of  human  nature,  that  an  impenetrable  veil  could  be 
drawn  over  these  horrid  scenes  ;  but  alas  !  they  are  com- 
mitted to  the  imperishable  pages  of  history  ;  and  they  are 
already  recorded  with  the  conflagrations  of  Sraithfield,  the 
massacres  of  St.  Bartholomew,  and  the  cannibal  barbarities 
of  the  French  Revolution. 

The  conquests  and  military  achievements  of  the  Iroquois 
were  commensurate  with  their  martial  ardour,  their  thirst 
for  glory,  their  great  courage,  their  invincible  perseverance, 
and  their  political  talents.  Their  military  excursions  were 
extended  as  far  north  as  Hudson's  Bay.  The  Mississippi 
did  not  form  their  western  limits  ;  their  power  was  felt  in 
the  most  southern  and  eastern  extremities  of  the  United 
States.  Their  wars  have  been  supposed,  by  one  writer,  to 
have  been  carried  near  to  the  Isthmus  of  Darien.lf  And 
Cotton  Mather,  in  his  Magnalia,  which  was  probably  writ- 
ten in   1698,  describes  them  as  terrible  cannibals  to  the 

*  Douglass's  Summary,  p.  199,  586.  2  Holmes's  American  Annals, 
116. 

t  1  vol.  Journal  of  Colonial  Assembly,  p.  95. 

t  3  Golden,  120.  <^  Belsham.  IT  Rogers's  America,  209. 


THE   SIX  NATIONS.  355 

westward,  who  have  destroyed  no  less  than  two  nations  of 
other  savages.* 

The  ostensible  causes  of  war  among  the  Indians  were 
like  many  of  those  among  civilized  nations ;  controversies 
about  limits,  violations  of  the  rights  of  embassy,  individual 
or  national  wrongs  ;  and  the  real  and  latent  reasons  were 
generally  the  same — the  enlargement  of  territory,  the  exten- 
sion of  dominion,  the  gratification  of  cupidity,  and  the  acqui- 
sition of  glory.  According  to  a  late  traveller,  a  war  has 
existed  for  two  centuries  between  the  Sioux  and  the  Chippe- 
was.f  For  an  infraction  of  the  rights  of  the  calumet,  the 
Confederates  carried  on  a  war  of  thirty  years  against  the 
Choctavvs.|  For  a  violation  of  the  game  laws  of  the  hunt- 
ing nations,  in  not  leaving  a  certain  number  of  male  and 
female  beavers  in  each  pond,  they  subdued  and  nearly  de- 
stroyed the  Illinois  ;§  and  they  appeared  to  have  accurate 
notions  of  the  rights  of  belligerants  over  contraband  arti- 
cles ;  for  they  considered  all  military  implements  carried 
to  an  enemy  as  liable  to  seizure  ;  but  they  went  farther,  and 
conceiving  this  conduct  a  just  ground  of  war,  treated  the 
persons  supplying  their  enemies  as  enemies,  and  devoted 
them  to  death.  But  the  commerce  in  furs  and  peltries,  pro- 
duced by  their  intercourse  with  the  Europeans,  introduced 
a  prolific  source  of  contention  among  them,  and  operated 
like  opening  the  box  of  Pandora.  Those  articles  were 
eagerly  sought  after  by  the  whites  ;  and  the  red  men  were 
equally  desirous  of  possessing  iron,  arms,  useful  tools, 
cloths,  and  the  other  accommodations  of  civilized  life.  Be- 
fore the  arrival  of  the  Europeans,  furs  were  only  esteemed 
for  their  use  as  clothing ;  but  when  the  demand  increased, 
and  an  exchange  of  valuable  articles  took  place,  it  became 
extremely  important  to  occupy  the  most  productive  hunting- 
grounds,  and  to  monopolize  the  best  and  the  most  furs.  And  it 
was  sometimes  the  policy  of  the  French  to  divert  the  at- 
tacks of  the  Iroquois  from  the  nations  with  whom  they 
traded  by  instigating  them  to  hostilities  against  the  South- 
ern Indians  friendly  to  the  English  colonies  ;  while  at  other 
times  they  excited  wars  between  their  northern  allies  and 


*  Magnalia,  p.  728. 

t  Pike's  Expedition  to  the  Sources  of  the  Mississippi,  &c.,  64. 

t  Smith's  New- York,  52. 

*)  See  Garaugula's  Speech  in  Appendix,  No.  I.  ...    ,, ,,! 


356  ?-r_  APPENDIX. 

the  Iroquois,  in  order  to  prevent  the  former  from  trading 
witii  the  English,  which  they  preferred,  because  they  could 
get  their  goods  cheaper.  On  the  other  hand,  the  English  en- 
tangled the  Confederates  in  all  their  hostilities  with  the  French 
and  their  Indian  allies.  The  commerce  in  furs  and  peltries 
was  deemed  so  valuable,  that  no  exertion  or  expense  vi^as 
spared  in  order  to  effect  a  monopoly.  'I'he  goods  of  the  Eng- 
lish were  so  eagerly  sought  after  by  the  Indians,  and  so  much 
preferred  to  those  of  the  French,  that  the  latter  were  com- 
pelled to  procure  them  from  the  colony  of  New- York  ;  from 
whence  they  were  conveyed  to  Montreal,  and  distributed 
among  the  savages.  It  was  then  evident  that  the  English 
had  it  in  their  power,  not  only  to  undersell  the  French,  but, 
by  a  total  interdiction  of  those  supplies,  to  expel  them  from 
the  trade.  The  enlightened  policy  of  Gov.  Burnett  dictated 
a  most  energetic  step,  and  a  colonial  law  was  passed  for  the 
purpose.*  He  also  established  trading-houses  [t]  and 
erected  a  fort  at  Oswego,  at  the  entrance  of  Onondaga  [now 
Oswego]  River  into  Lake  Ontario.  This  position  was  judi- 
ciously selected ;  not  only  on  account  of  its  water  com- 
munication with  a  great  part  of  the  Iroquois  territory,  but 
for  the  facility  with  which  articles  could  be  transported  to 
and  from  Schenectady  ;  there  being  but  three  portages  in 
the  whole  route,  two  of  which  were  very  short.  It  had  an- 
other decided  advantage.  The  Indian  navigation  of  the 
lakes  being  in  canoes,  is  necessarily  along  the  coast.  The 
southern  side  of  Lake  Ontario  aflbrding  a  much  more  secure 
route  than  the  northern,  all  the  Indians  who  came  from  the 
great  lakes  would  on  their  way  to  Canada  have  to  pass 
close  by  the  English  establishment,  where  they  could  be 
supplied  at  a  cheaper  rate  and  at  a  less  distance.  Oswego 
then  became  one  great  emporium  of  the  fur-trade  ;  and  its 
ruins  now  proclaim  the  vestiges  of  its  former  prosperity. 
The  French  perceived  all  the  consequences  of  those  meas- 
ures, and  they  immediately  rebuilt  the  fort  at  Niagara,  in 
order  that  they  might  have  a  commercial  establishment  200 
miles  nearer  the  Western  Indians  than  at  Oswego.  Having 
previously  occupied  the  mouth  of  Lake  Ontario  by  Fort 
Frontenac,  the  fort  at  Niagara  now  gave  them  a  decided  ad- 

*  1  Colden's  Five  Nations,  95.  Smith's  New- York,  224,  &c. 
Herriot's  Canada,  174. 

[t]  See  notices  in  this  volume  of  the  military  and  trading  posts  in 
Western  New- York,  in  article  headed  "  Irondequoit  Bay." 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  357 

vantage  in  point  of  position.  The  act  passed  by  Governor 
Burnett's  recommendation  was,  under  the  influence  of  a  per- 
nicious policy,  repealed  by  the  British  king.  The  Iroquois 
had  adopted  a  determined  resolution  to  exterminate  the 
French.  "  Above  these  thirty  years,"  says  La  Hontan, 
"  their  ancient  counsellors  have  still  remonstrated  to  the 
warriors  of  the  Five  Nations,  that  it  was  expedient  to  cut  oflf 
all  the  savage  nations  of  Canada,  in  order  to  ruin  the  com- 
merce of  the  French,  and  after  that  to  dislodge  them  from 
the  continent.  AVith  this  view  they  have  carried  the  war  above 
four  or  five  hundred  leagues  off  their  country,  after  the  destroy- 
ing of  several  different  nations."*  Charlevoix  was  impress- 
ed with  the  same  opinion.  "  The  Iroquois,"  says  he,  "  are 
desirous  of  exercising  a  species  of  domination  over  the  whole 
of  this  great  continent,  and  to  render  themselves  the  sole 
masters  of  its  commerce."!  Finding  the  auxiliary  eflbrls  of 
the  English  rendered  abortive,  their  rage  and  fury  increased, 
and  the  terror  of  their  arms  was  extended  accordingly.  At 
a  subsequent  period  they  appeared  to  entertain  different  and 
more  enlightened  views  on  this  subject.  They  duly  appre- 
ciated the  policy  of  averting  the  total  destruction  of  either 
European  power  ;  and  several  instances  could  be  pointed 
out,  by  which  it  could  be  demonstrated  that  the  balance  of 
power,  formerly  the  subject  of  so  much  speculation  among 
the  statesmen  of  Europe,  was  thoroughly  understood  by  the 
Confederates  in  their  negotiations  and  intercourse  with  the 
French  and  English  colonies. 

To  describe  the  military  enterprises  of  this  people  would 
be  to  delineate  the  progress  of  a  tornado  or  an  earth- 
quake.J 

'Wide-wasting  death,  up  to  the  ribs  in  blood,  with  giant-stroke  wid- 
i  ow'd  the  nations."iJ 

Destruction  followed  their  footsteps,  and  whole  nations 
subdued,  exterminated,  rendered  tributary,  expelled  from 
their  country,  or  merged  in  their  conquerors,  declare  the 
superiority  and  the  terror  of  their  arms.  When  Champlain 
arrived  in  Canada  in  1603,  he  found  them  at  war  with  the 

♦  Vol.  i.,  p.  270. 

t  Charlevoix's  Histoire  Generale  de  la  Nouvelle  France,  1  vol.,  b.  11, 
p.  487. 

t  For  the  military  exploits  of  the  Iroquois,  generally  speaking,  see 
De  la  Potheire,  La  Hontan,  Charlevoix,  Colden,  Smith,  and  Herriot. 

<J  Cumberland's  Battle  of  Hastings. 


858  APPENDIX. ' 

Hurons  and  Algonkins.  He  look  part  and  headed  three 
expeditions  against  ihem,  in  two  of  which  he  was  success- 
ful ;  but  in  the  last  he  was  repulsed.  This  unjust  and  im- 
politic interference  laid  the  foundation  of  continual  wars  be- 
tween the  French  and  the  Confederates.  The  Dutch,  on 
the  contrary,  entered  into  an  alliance  with  them  on  their 
first  settlement  of  the  country,  which  continued  without  in- 
terruption ;  and  on  the  surrender  of  New- York  to  the  Eng- 
lish in  1664,  Carteret,  one  of  the  commissioners,  was  sent 
to  subdue  the  Dutch  at  Fort  Orange,  now  Albany,  which 
having  etTected,  he  had  a  conference  with  the  Confederates, 
and  entered  into  a  league  of  friendship,  which  continued 
without  violation  on  either  part.* 

The  conquests  of  the  Iroquois,  previous  to  the  discovery 
of  America,  are  only  known  to  us  through  the  imperfect 
channels  of  tradition  ;  but  it  is  well  authenticated  that,  since 
that  memorable  era,  they  exterminated  the  nation  of  the 
Eries  or  Erigas,  on  the  south  side  of  Lake  Erie,  which  has 
given  a  name  to  that  lake.  They  nearly  extirpated  the  An- 
dastez  and  the  Chauanons  ;  they  conquered  the  Hurons,  and 
drove  them  and  their  allies,  the  Ottawas,  among  the  Sioux, 
on  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  "  where  they  separa- 
ted themselves  into  bands,  and  proclaimed,  wherever  they 
went,  the  terror  of  the  Iroquois."!  They  also  subdued  the 
Illinois,  the  Miamies,  the  Algonkins,  the  Delawares,  the 
Shawanese,  and  several  tribes  of  the  Abenaquis.  After  the 
Iroquois  had  defeated  the  Hurons,  in  a  dreadful  battle  fought 
near  Quebec,  the  Neperceneans,  who  lived  upon  the  St. 
Lawrence,  fled  to  Hudson's  Bay  to  avoid  their  fury.  In 
1649  they  destroyed  two  Huron  villages  and  dispersed  the 
nation  ;  and  afterward  they  destroyed  another  village  of  600 
families.  Two  villages  presented  themselves  to  the  Con- 
federates, and  lived  with  them.  "  The  dread  of  the  Iro- 
quois," says  the  historian,  "  had  such  an  effect  upon  all  the 
other  nations,  that  the  borders  of  the  River  Ontaonis,  which 
were  long  thickly  peopled,  became  almost  deserted  without 
its  ever  being  known  what  became  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
inhabitants."!  The  Illinois  fled  to  the  westward  after  being 
attacked  by  the  Confederates,  and  did  not  return  until  a  gen- 
eral peace  ;  and  were  permitted  in  1760  by  the  Confederates 

*  1  Golden,  p.  34.  Smith's  New- York,  p.  3-31.  Douglass's  Sum- 
mary, p.  243. 

t  Herriot,  page  77.  '  .^,  .,   v.,,       f  Ibid,  p.  70. 


THE    SIX    NATIONS.  ^"^^  . 

to  settle  in  the  country  between  the  Wabash  and  the  Scioto 
Rivers.*  The  banks  of  Lake  Superior  were  lined  with  Al- 
gonkins,  who  sought  an  asylum  from  the  Five  Nations  ;  they 
also  harassed  all  the  Northern  Indians  as  far  as  Hudson's 
Bay,  and  they  even  attacked  the  nations  on  the  Missouri. 
When  La  Salle  was  among  the  Natchez  in  1683,  he  saw  a 
party  of  that  people  who  had  been  on  an  expedition  against 
the  Iroquois.f  Smith,  the  founder  of  Virginia,  in  an  expe- 
dition up  the  Bay  of  Chesapeake  in  1608,  met  a  war  party 
of  the  Confederates,  then  going  to  attack  their  enemies.^ 
They  were  at  peace  with  the  Couetas,  or  Creeks,  but  they 
warred  against  the  Catawbas,  the  Cherokees,  and  almost  all 
the  Southern  Indians^  The  two  former  sent  deputies  to 
Albany,  where  they  effected  a  peace  through  the  mediation 
of  the  English.  In  a  word,  the  Confederates  were,  with  a 
few  exceptions,  the  conquerors  and  masters  of  all  the  Indian 
nations  east  of  the  Mississippi.  Such  was  the  terror  of  the 
nations,  that  when  a  single  Mohawk  appeared  on  the  hills  of 
New-England,  the  fearful  spectacle  spread  pain  and  terror, 
and  flight  was  the  only  refuge  from  death. ||  Charlevoix 
mentions  a  singular  instance  of  this  terrific  ascendancy. 
Ten  or  twelve  Ottawas  being  pursued  by  a  party  of  Iroquois, 
endeavoured  to  pass  over  to  Goat  Island,  on  the  Niagara 
River,  in  a  canoe,  and  were  swept  down  the  cataract;  aiA 
as  it  appeared,  preferred  to  the  sword  of  their  enemies? 

"  The  vast  immeasurable  abyss, 
Outrageous  as  a  sea,  dark,  wasteful,  wild, 
Up  from  the  bottom  turned."** 

In  consequence  of  their  sovereignty  over  the  other  nations, 
the  Confederates  exercised  a  proprietary  right  in  their  lands. 
In  1742  they  granted  to  the  province  of  Pennsylvania  certain 
lands  on  the  west  side  of  the  Susquehannah,  having  formerly 
done  so  on  the  east  side. It  In  1744  they  released  to  Mary- 
land and  Virginia  certain  lands  claimed  by  them  in  those 
colonies ;  and  they  declared  at  this  treaty  that  they  had 
conquered  the  several  nations  living  on  the  Susquehannah 

*  Pownall's  Topographical  Description  of  Parts  of  North  America, 
&c.,  1776,  p.  42. 

+  Tontis's  Account  of  De  la  Salle's  last  Expedition,  printed  in 
London  from  the  French  in  1698,  p.  112. 

t  Jefferson's  Notes  on  Virginia,  310,  &c. 

^  Adair's  History  of  the  Indians.  ||   1  Golden,  p.  3. 

ir  3  Charlevoix,  Letter  15,  p.  234. 

**  Milton's  Paradise  Lost,  book  7.  ft  2  Golden,  p.  20. 


360  •  APPENDIX. 

and  Potomac  Rivers,  and  on  the  back  of  the  great  mount- 
ains in  Virginia.*  In  1754  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Connecticut  [chiiming  the  pre-emptive  right  under  quit-claim 
deeds  from  that  slate — vide  article  about  the  "  Controversy 
with  Connecticut"]  purchased  of  them  a  large  tract  of  land 
west  of  the  River  Delaware,  and  from  thence  spreading  over 
the  east  and  west  branches  of  the  Susquehannah  River.j  In 
17G8  they  gave  a  deed  to  William  Trent  and  others  for  land 
between  the  Ohio  and  Monongahela.  They  claimed  and  sold 
the  land  on  the  north  side  of  Kentucky  River.j  In  1768, 
at  a  ireaty  held  at  Fort  Stanwix,  with  Sir  William  Johnson, 
the  "  line  of  property,"  as  it  was  commonly  denominated, 
was  settled  ;  marking  out  the  boundary  between  the  English 
colonies  and  the  territories  of  the  Confederates. i^ 

The  vicinity  of  the  Confederates  was  fortunate  for  the 
colony  of  New-York.  They  served  as  an  effectual  shield 
against  the  hostile  incursions  of  the  French  and  their  savage 
allies.  Their  war  with  the  French  began  with  Champlain, 
and  continued  with  few  intervals  until  the  treaty  of  Utrecht, 
which  confirmed  the  surrender  of  Canada,  Nova  Scotia,  and 
Acadia  to  Great  Britain.  For  near  a  century  and  a  half 
they  maintained  a  war  against  the  French  possessions  in 
Louisiana  and  Canada  ;  sometimes  alone,  and  sometimes  in 
conjunction  with  the  English  colonies.  During  this  eventful 
period  they  often  maintained  a  proud  superiority;  always 
an  honourable  resistance  ;  and  no  vicissitude  of  fortune  or 
visitation  of  calamity  could  ever  compel  them  to  descend 
from  the  elevated  ground  which  they  occupied  in  their  own 
estimation  and  in  the  opinion  of  the  nations. 

Their  expeditions  into  Canada  were  frequent ;  wherever 
they  marched,  terror  and  desolation  composed  their  train ; 

"  And  vengeance,  striding  from  his  grisly  den, 
With  fell  impatience  grmds  his  iron  teeth  ; 
And  massacre  unbidden  cloys  his  famine, 
And  quaffs  the  blood  of  nations. "II 

In  1683  M.  Delabarre,  the  Governor-general  of  Canada, 
marched  with  an  army  against  the  Cantons.  He  landed 
near  Oswego ;  but  finding  himself  incompetent  to  meet  the 
enemy,  he  instituted  a  negotiation  and  demanded  a  confer- 
ence.    On  this  occasion,  Garangula,  an  Onondaga  chief,  at- 

*  7  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.,  p.  171.  t  Ibid,  p.  231. 

t  2  Holme's  Annals,  p.  287.     Jefferson's  Notes,  p.  296.     ^  Ibid. 
II  Glover's  Boadicea. 


THE    SIX    NATIONS.  •  Wm 

tended  in  behalf  of  his  country,  and  made  the  celebrated  re- 
ply to  M.  Delabarre,  which  I  shall  presently  notice.  The 
French  retired  from  the  country  with  disgrace.  The  second 
general  expedition  was  undertaken  in  1687  by  M.  Denon- 
ville,  governor-general.  He  had  treacherously  seized  several 
of  their  chiefs,  and  sent  them  to  the  galleys  in  France.  He 
was  at  the  head  of  an  army  exceeding  2000  men.  He 
landed  in  Irondequoit  Bay ;  and  when  near  a  village  of  the 
Senecas,  was  attacked  by  500,  and  would  have  been  defeated 
if  his  Indian  allies  had  not  rallied  and  repulsed  the  enemy. 
After  destroying  some  provisions  and  burning  some  villages, 
he  retired  without  any  acquisition  of  laurels.  The  place 
on  which  this  battle  was  fought  has  been,  within  a  few  years, 
owned  by  Judge  Augustus  Porter,  of  Grand  Niagara.  On 
ploughing  the  land  300  hatchets  and  upward  of  3000  pounds 
of  old  iron  were  found ;  being  more  than  sufficient  to  defray 
the  expense  of  clearing  it. 

Tlie  Confederates  in  a  year's  time  compelled  their  ene- 
mies to  make  peace  and  to  restore  their  chiefs.  It  was 
with  the  French  the  only  escape  from  destruction.  Great 
bodies  of  the  Confederates  threatened  Montreal,  and  their 
canoes  covered  the  great  lakes.  They  shut  up  the  French 
in  forts  ;  and  would  have  conquered  the  whole  (|f  Canada, 
if  they  had  understood  the  art  of  attacking  fortified  places. 
This  peace  was  soon  disturbed  by  the  artifices  of  Kondia- 
ronk,  a  Huron  chief;  and  the  Iroquois  made  an  irruption  on 
the  island  of  Montreal  with  1200  men,  destroying  every- 
thing before  them. 

The  third  and  last  grand  expedition  against  the  Confed- 
erates was  undertaken  in  1697  by  the  Count  de  Frontenac, 
the  ablest  and  bravest  governor  that  the  French  ever  had  in 
Canada.  He  landed  at  Oswego  with  a  powerful  force,  and 
marched  to  the  Onondaga  Lake — he  found  their  principal 
village  burned  and  abandoned.  He  sent  700  men  to  destroy 
the  Oneida  Castle,  who  took  a  few  prisoners.  An  Onondaga 
chief,  upward  of  100  years  old,  was  captured  in  the  woods, 
and  abandoned  to  the  fury  of  the  French  savages.  After 
sustaining  the  most  horrid  tortures  with  more  than  stoical 
fortitude,  the  only  complaint  he  was  heard  to  utter  was 
when  one  of  them,  actuated  by  compassion,  or  probably  by 
rage,  stabbed  him  repeatedly  with  a  knife,  in  order  to  put  a 
speedy  end  to  his  existence.  "Thou  ought  not,"  said  he, 
"  to  abridge  my  life,  that  thou  might  have  time  to  learn  to 
31 


&m  APPENDIX. 

die  like  a  man.  For  my  own  part,  I  die  contented,  because 
I  know  no  meanness  with  whicli  to  reproach  myself."  After 
this  tragedy,  the  count  thought  it  prudent  to  retire  with  his 
army ;  and  he  probably  would  have  fallen  a  victim  to  his 
temerity,  if  the  Senecas  had  not  been  kept  at  home  from  a 
false  report  that  they  were  to  be  attacked  at  the  same  time 
by  the  Ottawas. 

After  the  general  peace  in  1762,  an  attempt  was  made  by 
a  number  of  the  western  Indians  to  destroy  the  British  col- 
onies. The  Senecas  were  involved  in  this  war  ;[*]  but  in 
1764,  Sir  Wm.  Johnson,  styling  himself  "  his  Majesty's  sole 
Agent  and  Superintendent  of  Indian  Afl'airs  for  the  northern 
parts  of  North  America,  and  Colonel  of  the  Six  United  Na- 
tions, their  allies  and  dependants,"  agreed  to  preliminary  ar- 
ticles of  peace  with  them.  In  this  treaty,  the  Senecas 
ceded  the  carrying-place  at  Niagara  to  Great  Britain.  The 
Confederates  remained  in  a  state  of  peace  until  the  com- 
mencement of  the  revolutionary  war.f  On  the  19th  June, 
1775,  the  Oneidas  and  some  other  Indians  sent  to  the  Con- 
vention of  Massachusetts  a  speech  declaring  their  neutrality 
— stating  that  they  could  not  find  nor  recollect  in  the  tradi- 
tions of  their  ancestors  a  parallel  case  ;  and  saying,  "  As 
we  have  declared  for  peace,  we  desire  you  would  not  ap- 
ply to  our  Indian  brethren  in  New-England  for  assistance. 
Let  us  Indians  be  all  of  one  mind  and  live  witli  one  another, 
and  you  white  people  settle  your  own  disputes  between 
yourselves."!  These  good  dispositions  did  not  long  con- 
tinue with  most  of  the  Indian  nations:  all  within  the  reach 
of  British  blandishments  and  persents  were  prevailed  upon 
to  take  up  the  hatchet.  It  is  calculated  that  12,690  Indian 
warriors  were  employed  by  the  British  during  the  revolu- 
tionary war,  of  which  1580  were  Iroquois. §  The  influence 
of  Sir  William  Johnson  over  the  savages  was  transmitted  to 
his  son,  who  was  most  successful  in  alluring  them  into  the 
views  of  Great  Britain.     "  A  great  war-feast  was  held  by 

[*  This  refers  to  the  great  conspiracy  of  Pontiac,  the  connexion  of  the 
Senecas  with  which  was  signahzed  by  the  tragedy  of  the  "  Devil's 
Hole" — of  which  particulars  are  given  in  note  III.  at  the  conclusion  of 
tliis  article.] 

+  Thos.  Mante's  History  of  the  late  War  in  America,  &c.,  printed  in 
London,  1772,  p.  503. 

t  2  William's  History  of  Vermont,  p.  440.  [See  "  Indian  Aecounts" 
of  the  causes  which  involved  them  in  the  war,  in  this  volume.] 

^  10  vol.  Mass.  Hist.  Soc,  p.  120,  &c. 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  363 

him  on  the  occasion,  in  which,  according  to  the  horrid  phra- 
seology of  these  barbarians,  they  were  invited  to  banquet 
upon  a  Bostonian  and  to  drink  his  blood."* 

Gen.  Biirgoyne  made  a  speech  to  the  Indians  on  the  21st 
of  June,  1777,  urging  them  to  hostilities,  and  stating  "his 
satisfaction  at  the  general  conduct  of  the  Indian  tribes  from 
the  beginning  of  the  troubles  in  America."  An  old  Iroquois 
chief  answered,  "  We  have  been  tried  and  tempted  by  the 
Boslonians  ;  but  we  have  loved  our  father,  and  our  hatchets 
have  been  sharpened  on  our  affections.  In  proof  of  the  Sin- 
cerity of  our  professions,  our  whole  villages  able  to  go  to 
war  are  come  forth  :  the  old  and  infirm,  our  infants  and  our 
wives,  alone  remain  at  home."t  They  realized  their  pro- 
fessions. The  whole  Confederacy,  except  a  little  more  than 
half  of  the  Oneidas,  took  up  arms  against  us.  They  hung 
like  the  scythe  of  death  upon  the  rear  of  our  settlements,  and 
their  deeds  are  inscribed  with  the  scalping-knife  and  the 
tomahawk  in  characters  of  blood  on  the  fields  of  Wyoming 
and  Cherry  Valley,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Mohawk. 

It  became  necessary  that  the  Confederates  should  receive 
a  signal  chastisement  for  their  barbarous  and  cruel  incur- 
sions ;  and  accordingly.  Gen.  Sullivan,  with  an  army  of  near 
5000  men,  marched  into  their  country  in  the  year  1779. 
Near  Newtown,  in  the  present  county  of  Tioga,  he  defeated 
them,  and  drove  them  from  their  fortifications.  He  contin- 
ued his  march  between  the  Cayuga  and  Seneca  Lakes,  and 
through  their  territory  as  far  as  the  Genesee  River,  destroy- 
ing their  orchards,  corn-fields,  and  forty  villages,  the  largest 
of  which  contained  128  houses.  This  expedition  was  nearly 
the  finishing  blow  to  savage  cruelty  and  insolence.  Their 
habitations  were  destroyed  ;  their  provinces  laid  waste  ;  they 
were  driven  from  their  country,  and  were  compelled  to  take 
refuge  under  the  cannon  of  Niagara  ;  and  their  hostility  ter- 
minated with  the  pacification  with  Great  Britain. [J] 

The  Confederates  were  as  celebrated  for  their  eloquence 
as  for  their  military  skill  and  political  wisdom.  Popular  or 
free  governments  have  in  all  ages  been  the  congenial  soil  of 
oratory  ;  and  it  is,  indeed,  all  important  in  institutions  merely 
advisory,  where  persuasion  must  supply  the  place  of  coer- 

*  Belcham.  t  Williams,  as  before  quoted. 

[i  But  manifested  itself  in  various  ways  afterward,  as  in  the  battles 
with  Harmer,  St.  Clair,  Wayne,  and  Harrison — some  particulars  of 
which  are  stated  in  the  article  headed  "  Indian  Difficulties."] 


364  .       APPENDIX. 

eion  ;  where  there  is  no  magistrate  to  execute  ;  no  military 
to  compel ;  and  where  the  only  sanction  of  law  is  the  con- 
trolling power  of  public  opinion.  Eloquence  being,  there- 
fore, considered  so  essential,  must  alwats  be  a  great  stand- 
ard of  personal  merit — a  certain  road  tqj^opular  favour  and 
a  universal  passport  to  public  honour^  These  combined 
inducements  operated  with  powerful  ^Pjce  on  the  mind  of 
the  Indian ;  and  there  is  little  doubt  J^t  that  oratory  was 
studied  with  as  much  care  and  applicgltion  among  the  Con- 
federates as  it  was  in  the  stormy  de^ibcracies  of  the  east- 
ern hemisphere.  I  do  not  pretend  to^sert  that  there  were, 
as  at  Athens  and  Rome,  established  ^fljiools  and  professional 
teachers  for  the  purpose  ;  but  I  sayfthat  it  was  an  attain- 
ment to  which  they  devoted  themsdVes,  and  to  which  they 
bent  the  whole  force  of  their  facyjilties.  Their  models  of 
eloquence  were  to  be  found,  not  je?  books,  but  in  the  living 
orators  of  their  local  and  national  assemblies  :  their  chil- 
dren at  an  early  period  of  life  attended  their  council-fires,  in 
order  to  observe  the  passing  scenes  and  to  receive  the  les- 
sons of  wisdom.  Their  rich  and  vivid  imagery  was  drawn 
from  the  sublime  scenery  of  nature,  and  their  ideas  were  de- 
rived from  the  laborious  operations  of  their  own  minds,  and 
from  the  experience  and  wisdom  of  their  ancient  sages. 

The  most  remarkable  difference  existed  between  the  Con- 
federates and  the  other  Indian  nations  with  respect  to  elo- 
quence. You  may  search  in  vain  in  the  records  and  wri- 
tings of  the  past,  or  in  the  events  of  the  present  times,  for  a 
single  model  of  eloquence  among  the  Algonkins,  the  Abena- 
quis,  the  Delawares,  the  Shawanese,  or  any  other  nation  of 
Indians  except  the  Iroquois.  The  few  scintillations  of  in- 
tellectual light,  the  faint  glimmerings  of  genius  which  are 
sometimes  to  be  found  in  their  speeches,  are  evidently  de- 
rivative, and  borrowed  from  the  Confederates. 

Considering  the  interpreters  who  have  undertaken  to  give 
the  meaning  of  Indian  speeches,  it  is  not  a  little  surprising 
that  some  of  them  should  approach  so  near  to  perfection. 
The  major  part  of  the  interpreters  were  illiterate  persons, 
sent  among  them  to  conciliate  their  favour  by  making  use- 
ful or  ornamental  implements  ;  or  they  were  prisoners,  who 
learned  the  Indian  language  during  their  captivity.  The  Rev. 
Mr.  Kirkland,  a  missionary  among  the  Oneidas,  and  some- 
times a  public  interpreter,  was  indeed  a  man  of  liberal  edu- 
cation ;  but  those  who  have  seen  him  officiate  at  public  trea- 
ties must  recollect  how  incompetent  he  was  to  infuse  the 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  365 

fire  of  Indian  oratory  into  his  expressions  ;  how  he  laboured 
for  words,  and  how  feeble  and  inelegant  his  language. 
Oral  is  more  difficult  than  written  interpretation  or  transla- 
tion. In  the  latter  case,  there  is  no  pressure  of  time,  and  we 
have  ample  opportunity  to  weigh  the  most  suitable  words,  to 
select  the  most  elegant  expressions,  and  to  fathom  the  sense 
of  the  author ;  but  in  the  former  case  we  are  called  upon  to 
act  immediately ;  no  time  for  deliberation  is  allowed ;  and 
the  first  ideas  that  occur  must  be  pressed  into  the  service  of 
the  interpreter.  At  an  ancient  treaty,  a  female  captive  offi- 
ciated in  that  capacity;  and  at  a  treaty  held  in  1722  at  Al- 
bany, ihe  speeches  of  the  Indians  were  first  rendered  into 
Dutch,  and  then  translated  into  English.*  I  except  from 
these  remarks  the  speech  of  the  Onondaga  Chief  Garan- 
gula  to  M.  Delabarre,  delivered  on  the  occasion  which  I 
have  before  mentioned.  This  was  interpreted  by  Monsieur 
le  Maine,  a  French  Jesuit,  and  recorded  on  the  spot  by 
Baron  la  Hontan — men  of  enlightened  and  cultivated  minds 
— from  whom  it  has  been  borrowed  by  Golden,  Smith,  Her- 
riot,  Trumbull,  and  Williams.  I  believe  it  to  be  impossible 
to  find,  in  all  the  efl'usions  of  ancient  or  modern  oratory,  a 
speech  more  appropriate  and  more  convincing.  Under  the 
veil  of  respectful  profession,  it  conveys  the  most  biting  irony ; 
and  while  it  abounds  with  rich  and  splendid  imagery,  it  con» 
tains  the  most  solid  reasoning.  I  place  it  in  the  same  rank 
with  the  celebrated  speech  of  Logan  ;  and  I  cannot  but  ex- 
press astonishment  at  the  conduct  of  two  respectable  writers 
who  have  represented  this  interesting  interview,  and  this  sub- 
lime display  of  intellectual  power,  as  "  a  scold  between  the 
French  general  and  an  old  Indian."! 

On  the  9th  February,  1690,  as  we  are  informed  by  the 
tradition  of  the  inhabitants,  although  history  has  fixed  it  on 
the  8th,  the  town  of  Schenectady,  which  then  consisted  of  a 
church  and  forty-three  houses,  was  surprised  by  a  party  of 
French  and  Indians  from  Ganada  :  a  dreadful  scene  of  con- 
flagration and  massacre  ensued ;  the  greater  part  of  the  in- 
habitants were  killed  or  made  prisoners — those  who  escaped 
fled  naked  towards  Albany  in  a  deep  snow  which  fell  that 
very  night,  and  providentially  met  sleighs  from  that  place, 
which  returned  immediately  with  them.     This  proceeding 

*  Oldmixon's  British  Empire,  1  vol.,  p.  264. 
t  Golden  and  Smith. 

31* 


366  APPENDIX. 

Struck  terror  into  the  inhabitants  of  Albany,  who  were  about 
10  abandon  the  country  in  de-spair  and  consternation.  On 
this  occasion,  several  of  the  Mohawk  chiefs  went  to  Albany, 
to  make  the  customary  speech  of  condolence,  and  to  animate 
to  honourable  exertion.  Their  speech  is  preserved  in  the 
first  volume  of  Colden's  history  of  the  "  Five  Indian  Na- 
tions"— and  even  at  this  distant  period  it  is  impossible  to 
read  it  without  sensibility,  without  respecting  its  affectionate 
sympathy,  and  admiring  its  magnanimous  spirit,  and  without 
ranking  it  among  the  most  respectable  models  of  eloquence 
which  history  affords. 

In  1777  and  1778,  an  association  of  our  own  citizens,  in 
violation  of  law,  contracted  with  the  Six  Nations  for  the 
greater  part  of  their  territory  on  a  lease  of  999  years  at  an 
insignificant  annual  rent.  These  proceedings  were,  on  mo- 
tion of  the  president  of  the  New-York  Historical  Society,[*] 
declared  void  in  March,  1788,  by  the  authorities  of  the  state. 
And  when  their  true  character  was  made  known  to  the  In- 
dians, when  they  found  that  their  country,  in  which  were  in- 
terred the  bones  of  their  ancestors,  was  sacrificed  to  the 
overreaching  cupidity  of  unauthorized  speculators,  the  great- 
est anxiety  and  consternation  prevailed  among  them.  The 
Senecas  and  Cayugas  repaired  to  Albany  to  confer  with  the 
governor;  but  having  no  speaker  at  that  time  of  suflJicient 
eminence  and  talents  for  the  important  occasion,  they  em- 
ployed Good  Peter,  or  Domine  Peter,  the  Cicero  of  the  Six 
Nations,  to  be  their  orator  ;  and  he  addressed  the  governor 
and  other  commissioners  in  a  speech  of  great  length  and 
ability  :  it  was  replete  with  figurative  language — the  topics 
were  selected  with  great  art  and  judgment.  I  took  down 
the  speech  from  the  mouth  of  the  interpreter  ;  and,  notwith- 
standing the  imperfect  interpretation  of  Mr.  Kirkland,  con- 
sider it  a  rare  specimen  of  Indian  eloquence. 

Within  a  few  years,  an  extraordinary  orator  has  risen 
amonor  the  Senecas :  his  real  name  is  Saguaha,  but  he  is 
commonly  called  Red  Jacket.  Without  the  advantages  of 
illustrious  descent,  and  with  no  extraordinary  talents  for  war, 
he  has  attained  the  first  distinctions  in  the  nation  by  the 
force  of  his  eloquence.  His  predecessor  in  the  honours  of 
the  nation  was  a  celebrated  chief  denominated  the  Corn- 
planter.  Having  lost  the  confidence  of  his  countrymen  [by 
his  efforts  to  alienate  the  Indian  lands  to  the  whites],  in 
[*  See  article  in  this  work  headed,  "A  new  State  Projected."  J 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  367 

order,  as  it  is  supposed,  to  retrieve  his  former  standing,  he 
persuaded  his  brother  to  announce  himself  as  a  prophet  or 
messenger  from  Heaven,  sent  to  redeem  the  fallen  fortunes  of 
the  Indian  race.  The  superstition  of  the  savages  cherished 
the  impostor ;  and  he  acquired  such  an  ascendency  as  to 
prevail  upon  the  Onondagas,  formerly  the  most  drunken  and 
profligate  of  the  Six  Nations,  to  abstain  entirely  from  spirit- 
uous liquors,  and  to  observe  the  laws  of  morality  in  other 
respects.  He  obtained  the  same  ascendency  among  the 
Confederates  as  another  impostor  acquired  among  the  Sha- 
wanese  and  other  Western  Indians  ;  and,  like  him,  he  has 
also  employed  his  influence  for  evil  as  well  as  for  good  pur- 
poses. The  Indians  universally  believe  in  witchcraft ;  the 
prophet  inculcated  this  superstition,  and  proceeded,  through 
the  instrumentality  of  conjurors  selected  by  himself,  to  desig- 
nate the  oflenders,  who  were  accordingly  sentenced  to  death. 
And  the  unhappy  objects  would  have  been  actually  executed 
if  the  magistrates  at  Oneida  and  the  ofiicers  of  the  garrison 
at  Niagara  had  not  interfered.  This  was  considered  an  art- 
ful expedient  to  render  his  enemies  the  objects  of  general 
abhorrence,  if  not  the  victims  of  an  ignominious  death. 
Imboldened  by  success,  he  proceeded  finally  to  execute  the 
views  of  his  brother  ;  and  Red  Jacket  was  publicly  denounced 
at  a  great  council  of  Indians  held  at  Bufi'alo  Creek,  and  was 
put  upon  his  trial.  At  this  crisis  he  well  knew  that  the  fu- 
ture colour  of  his  life  depended  upon  the  powers  of  his  mind. 
He  spoke  in  his  defence  for  near  three  hours.  The  iron- 
brow  of  superstition  relented  under  the  magic  of  his  elo- 
quence ;  he  declared  the  prophet  an  impostor  and  a  cheat ; 
he  prevailed  ;  the  Indians  divided,  and  a  small  majority  ap- 
peared in  his  favour.  Perhaps  the  annals  of  history  cannot 
furnish  a  more  conspicuous  instance  of  the  triumph  and 
power  of  oratory  in  a  barbarous  nation  devoted  to  supersti- 
tion and  looking  up  to  the  accuser  as  a  delegated  minister 
of  the  Almighty. 

1  am  well  aware  that  the  speech  of  Logan  will  be  triumph- 
antly quoted  against  me,  and  that  it  will  be  said  that  the 
most  splendid  exhibition  of  Indian  eloquence  may  be  found 
out  of  the  pale  of  the  Six  Nations.  I  fully  subscribe  to  the 
eulogium  of  Mr.  Jefierson  when  he  says,  "  I  may  challenge 
the  whole  orations  of  Demosthenes  and  Cicero,  and  of  any 
more  eminent  orator,  if  Europe  has  furnished  more  eminent, 
to  produce  a  single  passage  superior  to  the  speech  of  Logan." 


•^v 


368  APPENDIX. 

But  let  it  be  remembered  that  Logan  was  a  Mingo  chief,  the 
second  son  of  Shikellimus,  a  celebrated  Cayuga  chief,  and 
consequently  belonged  to  the  Confederates,  although  he  did 
not  live  in  their  patrimonial  territory.  The  Iroquois  had  sent 
out  several  colonies — one  of  them  was  settled  at  Sandus- 
ky, and  was  estimated  to  contain  300  warriors  in  1768. 
Another  was  established  on  a  branch  of  the  Scioto,  and  had 
sixty  warriors  in  1779.*  To  this  I  may  add  the  testimony 
of  Charlevoix,  who  may  be  justly  placed  in  the  first  rank  of 
able  and  learned  writers  on  American  afl'airs,  and  who  enter- 
tained all  the  prejudices  of  his  country  against  the  confed- 
eracy. Speaking  of  Joncaire,  who  had  been  adopted  by  the 
Senecas,  and  who  had  obtained  their  consent  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  fort  at  Niagara,  he  says,  "  II  parla  avec  tout 
I'esprit  d'un  Francois,  qui  en  a  beaucoup  et  la  plus  sublime 
eloquence  Iroquoise" — he  spoke  with  all  the  energetic  spirit 
of  a  Frenchman,  and  with  the  most  sublime  eloquence  of  an 
Iroquois.* 

It  cannot,  I  presume,  be  doubted  but  that  the  Confeder- 
ates were  a  peculiar  and  extraordinary  people,  contra-distin- 
guished from  the  mass  of  the  Indian  nations  by  great  attain- 
ments in  polity,  in  government,  in  negotiation,  in  eloquence, 
and  in  war.  La  Hontan  asserts  that  "  they  are  of  a  larger 
stature,  and,  withal,  more  valiant  and  cunning  than  the  other 
nations."!  Charlevoix  derives  their  name  of  Agonnonsioni 
from  their  superior  skill  and  taste  in  architecture.^  The 
perspicacious  and  philosophical  Pennant,  after  fully  weigh- 
ing their  character,  qualities,  and  physical  conformation,  pro- 
nounced them  the  descendants  of  the  Tschutski,  who  reside 
on  a  peninsula  which  forms  the  most  northeasterly  part  of 
Asia — who  are  a  free  and  a  brave  race  ;  and,  in  size  and 
figure,  superior  to  every  neighbouring  nation.  The  Rus- 
sians have  never  been  able  to  effect  their  conquest.  They 
cherish  a  high  sense  of  liberty — constantly  refuse  to  pay 
tribute — and  are  supposed  to  have  sprung  from  that  fine 
race  of  Tartars,  the  Kabardinski,  or  inhabitants  of  Ka- 
barda.ll 

*  Jefferson's  Notes. 

t  Charlevoix's  Letter  15,  page  248.  Quere — Is  this  the  Captain 
Joncaire  who  is  mentioned  in  General  (then  Colonel)  Washington's 
Journal  of  his  mission  to  the  Ohio.  See  2  Marshall's  Life  of  Wash- 
Ion,  1  Note. 

t  2  vol.  page  4.  ^  I  Charlevoix,  b.  6,  p.  27L 

II  1  Pennant's  Arctic  Zoology,  181,  186,  262. 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  369 

But  there  is  a  striking  discrimination  between  this  nation 
and  the  great  body  of  the  Indian  tribes,  which  remains  to  be 
mentioned.  Charlevoix  has  the  singular  merit  of  having  re- 
jected the  common  mode  of  ascertaining  the  identity  of  na- 
tional origin  from  a  coincidence  in  customs  and  manners, 
and  of  having  pointed  out  a  similarity  of  language  as  the  best 
and  the  surest  criterion.  As  far  back  as  La  Hontan,  whose 
voyages  were  published  in  1703,  and  who  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  Indian  languages,  it  was  understood  by  him 
that  there  were  but  two  mother  tongues,  the  Huron  and  the 
Algonkin,  in  the  whole  extent  of  Canada,  as  far  west  as  the 
Mississippi ;  and  in  a  list  which  he  gives  of  the  Indian  na- 
tions, it  appears  that  they  all  spoke  the  Algonkin  language 
in  diflerent  dialects,  except  the  Hurons  and  the  Confeder- 
ates— the  difference  between  whose  languages  he  considers 
as  not  greater  than  that  between  the  Norman  and  the 
French.  This  opinion  has  been  supported  and  confirmed 
by  the  concurring  testimony  of  Carver,  Charlevoix,  Rogers, 
Barton,  Edwards,  Mackenzie,  and  Pike — with  these  quali- 
fications, that  the  Sioux  or  Naudowessies,  and  the  Assini- 
boils,  together  with  many  nations  of  Indians  to  the  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  speak  a  distinct  original  language  ;  and  it  is 
not  perfectly  settled  whether  the  Creeks  and  the  other  south- 
ern Indians  in  their  vicinity  use  a  parent  language,  or  un- 
der which  of  the  three  great  parent  ones  theirs  must  be 
classed.  Carver  speaks  of  the  Chippewa  ;  Edwards  of  the 
Mohegan  ;  Barton  of  the  Delaware  ;  Rogers  of  the  Otto- 
way,  as  the  most  prevailing  language  in  North  America : 
but  they  all  agree  in  the  similarity.  Dr.  Edwards  asserts 
that  the  language  of  the  Delawares  in  Pennsylvania  ;  of  the 
Penobscots  bordering  on  Nova  Scotia  ;  of  the  Indians  of  St. 
Francis  in  Canada;  of  the  Shawanese  on  the  Ohio  ;  of  the 
Chippewas  at  the  westward  of  Lake  Huron ;  of  the  Otta- 
was,  Nanticokes,  Munsees,  Menominees,  Missisaugas,  Sau- 
kies,  Oltagaumies,  Killistineaux,  Mipegois,  Algonkins,Win- 
nebagoes,  and  of  the  several  tribes  in  New-England,  are 
radically  the  same ;  and  the  variations  are  to  be  accounted 
for  from  the  want  of  letters  and  of  communication.  On  the 
other  hand,  that  the  Confederates  and  the  Hurons  were  ori- 
ginally of  the  same  stock,  may  be  inferred  not  only  from  the 
sameness  of  their  language,  but  from  their  division  into 
similar  tribes.*     From  this  we  may  rationally  conclude  that 

*  Trumbull's  Connecticut,  43.   Henry's  Travels  in  Canada,  250,  399, 


370  APPENDIX. 

those  nations  were  descended  from  an  Asiatic  stock,  radi- 
cally diflerent  from  that  of  the  great  body  of  Indians  who 
were  spread  over  North  America  ;  and  that  the  superior 
qualities  of  the  Iroquois  may  be  ascribed  as  well  to  the  su- 
periority of  their  origin  as  to  the  advantages  of  position,  the 
maxims  of  policy,  and  the  principles  of  education  which  dis- 
tinguished them  from  the  other  red  inhabitants  of  this  Wes- 
tern World.  And  they  were,  indeed,  at  all  times  ready  and 
willing  to  cherish  the  sentiment  of  exaltation  which  they 
felt;  and  believing  that  they  excelled  the  rest  of  mankind, 
they  called  themselves  "  Ongue-Honwe,"  that  is,  men  sur- 
passing all  others.* 

It  is  extremely  difficult  to  speak  with  any  precision  of 
the  ancient  population  of  the  Indian  nations.  The  Powhat- 
tan  Confederacy,  or  Empire,  as  it  was  called,  contained  one 
inhabitant  for  every  square  mile  ;  and  the  proportion  of  war- 
riors to  the  whole  number  of  inhabitants  was  as  tliree  to 
ten.t  If  this  is  to  afford  a  just  rule  for  estimating  the  Con- 
federates, it  would  be  easy  to  ascertain  their  number  and  to 
adjust  the  relative  proportion  of  their  fighting  men.  Sup- 
posing their  patrimonial  or  dwelling  country  to  be  300  miles 
in  length  and  100  in  breadth,  the  whole  number  of  square 
miles  would  be  30,000,  and  the  number  of  souls  the  same. J 
Some  writers  state  the  number  of  their  warriors,  at  the  first 
European  settlement,  to  be  15,000,  which  would  make  a 
population  of  50,000.  La  Hontan  says  that  each  village  or 
canton  contained  about  14,000  souls — that  is,  1500  that 
bear  arms,  2000  superannuated  men,  4000  women,  2000 
maids,  and  4000  children  :  "  Though,  indeed,  some  say  that 
each  village  has  not  above  ten  or  eleven  thousand  souls." 
On  the  first  statement,  they  would  have  7500,  and  on  the 
last  about  5360  fighting  men. 

325.  Carver's  Travels,  170.  Mackenzie's  Voyages,  280.  3  Charle- 
voix's Letters,  11th  and  12th.  Jeffery's  Natural  and  Civil  History  of 
the  French  Dominions  in  North  and  South  America,  45,  50.  Rogers's 
North  America,  246.  Barton's  View,  470.  Pike's  Expedition,  65. 
Edward's  Observations  on  the  Language  of  the  Muhhekanew  Indians. 
La  Hontan's  New  Voyages,  1  vol.,  270,  2  vol.,  287. 

*   1  Colden,  p.  2.  +  Jefferson's  Notes,  141,  &c. 

t  On  this  subject  see  1  Trumbull's  History  U.  S.,  p.  30,  &c.  1 
Williams's  Vermont.  215,  &c.  1  Douglass's  Summary,  185.  5  vol. 
Mass.  Hist.  Society,  13,  16,  23,  &c.  10  vol.  Mass  Hist.  Soc,  122,  &c. 
Morse's  Gazetteer  Six  Nations.  1  La  Hontan,  23,  &c.  Jefferson's 
Notes,  151.     Holmes's  American  Annals,  1  vol.  45.     do.  2d  vol.  137. 


THE   SIX   NATIONS.      *  gfl* 

Colonel  Coursey,  an  agent  of  Virginia,  had  in  1677  a  con- 
ference with  the  Five  Nations  at  Albany.  The  number 
of  warriors  was  estimated  at  that  time  and  place  as  follows : 
Mohawks,  300;  Oneidas,200;  Onondagas,  350  ;  Cayugas, 
300;  Senecas,  1000;  total,  2150  ;  which  would  make  the 
whole  population  near  7200.* 

Smitli  says  that  in  1756  the  whole  number  of  fighting 
men  was  about  1200.  Douglass  says  that  in  1760  it  was 
1500.  In  the  first  case,  the  whole  population  would  be  4000, 
and  in  the  last  5000. 

In  1764  Bouquet,  from  the  information  of  a  French  trader, 
stated  the  whole  number  of  inhabitants  to  be  1550.  Captain 
Hutchins,  who  visited  most  of  the  Indian  nations  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  learning  their  number,  represents  them  to 
be  2120  in  1768;  and  Dodge,  an  Indian  trader,  says  that 
in  1779  they  were  1600.  These  three  estimates  were  taken 
from  Jefferson's  Notes  on  Virginia  ;  and  although  they  ap- 
parently relate  to  the  whole  population,  yet  I  am  persuaded 
that  the  statements  were  only  intended  to  embrace  the  num- 
ber of  warriors. 

During  the  revolutionary  war  the  British  had  in  their  ser- 
vice, according  to  the  calculation  of  a  British  agent,  300 
Mohawks,  150  Oneidas,  200  Tuscaroras,  300  Onondagas, 
230  Cayugas,  400  Senecas  ;  1580  in  the  whole.  If  to  these 
we  add  220  warriors,  who  adhered  to  the  Unhed  States,  the 
whole  number  of  fighting  men  would  be  1800. 

In  1783,  Mr.  Kirkland,  the  missionary,  estimated  the 
number  of  warriors  in  the  Seneca  nation  at  600.  This 
would  make  the  whole  population  2000  ;  and  as  the  Senecas 
then  composed  nearly  one  half  of  the  whole  Confederacy, 
the  fighting  men  would  be  about  1200,  and  the  total  number 
of  inhabitants  upward  of  4000,  In  1790  he  calculated 
the  whole  population  of  the  Confederacy,  including  those 
who  reside  on  Grand  River  in  Canada,  and  the  Stockbridge 

*  Vide  Chalmer's  Political  Annals,  p.  606,  which  contains  the  jour- 
ney of  Wentworth  and  Greenshulp  from  Albany  to  the  Five  Nations, 
begun  28th  May,  1677,  and  ended  14th  July  following.  The  Mohawks 
had  four  towns  and  one  village,  containing  only  100  houses.  The 
Oneidas  had  one  town  containing  100  houses.  The  Onondagas  one 
town  of  140  houses,  and  one  village  of  twenty-four  houses.  The  Cay- 
ugas three  towns  of  about  100  houses  in  all.  The  Senecas  four  towns 
containing  324  houses.  The  warriors  the  same  precisely  as  in  Colonel 
Coursey's  statement,  (Cours.,  p.  21.)  In  the  whole,  784  houses,  which 
would  make  nearly  three  warriors  and  ten  inhabitants  for  each  house. 


372  V  APPENDIX. 

and  Brothertown  Indians,  to  be  6330.     This  would  make 
the  number  of  warriors  near  1900. 

In  1794,  on  the  division  of  an  annuity  of  ^4500  given  to 
them  by  the  United  States,  their  number  was  ascertained 
with  considerable  precision  ;  each  individual  in  the  Confed- 
eracy (except  tliose  residing  in  the  British  dominions)  re- 
ceiving an  equal  share. 


In  the  United  States.                     Ii 

1  the  Canad 

Mohawks 

300 

Oneidas    . 

628    . 

460 

Cayugas 

40    . 



Onondagas 

450    . 

760 

Tuscaroras 

400    . 

Senecas   . 

1780    . 

3298 
760 

Making  in  the  whole  4058 

The  Stockbridge  and  Brothertown  Indians  are  not  inclu- 
ded.    This  would  make  the  number  of  fighting  men  1352. 

These  various  estimates  evince  the  great  uncertainty  pre- 
vailing on  this  subject.  While  La  Hontan  exaggerates  the 
population  of  the  Confederacy,  Smith  evidently  underrates  it. 
We  know  that  in  their  wars  they  often  sent  out  considerable 
armies.  They  attacked  the  island  of  Montreal  with  1200 
men  ;  and  in  1683,  1000  marched  at  one  time  against  the 
Ottagaumies.  The  first  was  in  1689,  twelve  years  after 
Colonel  Coursey's  estimate.  Supposing  that  1200  warriors 
were  at  that  time  at  home  and  otherwise  employed,  the  whole 
number  would  then  be  about  2400 ;  which  shows  a  consid- 
erable coincidence  between  the  two  statements.  On  one 
point  there  is,  however,  no  uncertainty.  Ever  since  the  men 
of  Europe  landed  on  the  shores  of  America  there  has  been 
a  diminution  of  the  number  of  the  aborigines  ;  sometimes 
rapid,  at  other  times  gradual.  The  present  condition  of  the 
Confederates  furnishes  an  admonitory  lesson  to  human  pride  ; 
and  adds  another  proof  to  the  many  on  record,  that  nations, 
like  individuals,  are  destined  by  Providence  to  dissolution. 
Their  patrimonial  estates — their  ancient  dwelling-lands — 
are  now  crowded  with  a  white  population,  excepting  some 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  373 

small  reservations  in  the  Oneida,  Onondaga,  and  Seneca 
countries.  The  Mohawks  abandoned  their  country  during 
the  war  of  the  revolution  ;  and  the  Cayugas  have  since  the 
peace.  A  remnant  of  the  Tuscaroras  reside  on  three  miles 
square  near  the  Niagara  River,  on  lands  given  to  them  by 
the  Senecas  and  the  Holland  Land  Company.  The  Oneida 
Reservation  does  not  contain  more  than  10,000  acres,  and 
the  Onondaga  is  still  smaller.  The  Senecas  have  their 
principal  settlement  at  Buffalo  Creek. [*] 

The  Six  Nations  have  lost  their  high  character  and  eleva- 
ted standing.  They  are  in  general  addicted  to  idleness  and 
drunkenness  :  the  remnant  of  their  eloquence  and  military 
spirit,  as  well  as  national  strength,  was  found  latest  among 
the  Senecas.  Their  ancient  men,  who  have  beheld  the 
former  glory  and  prosperity  of  their  country,  and  who  have 
heard  from  the  mouths  of  their  ancestors  the  heroic  achieve- 
ments of  their  countrymen,  weep  like  infants  when  they 
speak  of  the  fallen  condition  of  the  nation.  They,  however, 
derive  some  consolation  from  a  prophecy  of  ancient  origin 
and  universal  currency  among  them — that  the  man  of  America 
will,  at  some  future  time,  regain  his  ancient  ascendency,  and 
expel  the  man  of  Europe  from  this  Western  hemisphere. 
This  flattering  and  consolatory  persuasion  has  restrained,  in 
some  degree,  their  vicious  propensities ;  has  enabled  the 
Seneca  and  Shawanese  prophets  to  arrest  in  some  tribes  the 
use  of  intoxicating  liquors,  and  has  given  birth  at  different 
periods  to  certain  movements  towards  a  general  Confeder- 
acy of  the  savages  of  North  America. [t]  That  they  con- 
sider the  white  man  an  enemy  and  an  intruder,  who  has  ex- 
pelled them  from  their  country,  is  most  certain ;  and  they 
cherish  this  antipathy  with  so  much  rancour,  that  when  they 
abandon  their  settlements  they  make  it  a  rule  never  to  disclose 
to  him  any  mineral  substances  or  springs  which  may  redound 
to  his  convenience  or  advantage. 

The  causes  of  their  degradation  and  diminution  are  prin- 
cipally to  be  found  in  their  baneful  communication  with  the 
man  of  Europe,  which  has^  contaminated  their  morals,  de- 
stroyed their  population,  robbed  them,  of  their  country,  and 
deprived  them  of  their  national  spirit.     Indeed,  when  we 

[*  This  reservation  was  sold  by  treaty  in  February,  1838 — the  Indi- 
ans to  move  westward.     See  preceding  pages] 

[t  See  notices  in  this  volume  of  the  battles  with  Harraer,  St.  Clair, 
Wayne,  and  Harrison.]  ...  ^.      ..      ,. 

32  ^ 


974  APPENDIX. 

consider  that  the  discovery  and  settlement  of  America  have 
exterminated  millions  of  the  Red  Men,  and  entailed  upon 
the  sable  inhabitants  of  Africa  endless  and  destructive  wars, 
captivity,  slavery,  and  death,  we  have  reason  to  shudder  at 
the  gloomy  perspective ;  and  to  apprehend  that,  in  the  retri- 
butive justice  of  the  Almighty,  there  may  be  some  hidden 
thunder  in  the  stores  of  heaven,  red  with  uncommon  wrath ; 
some  portentous  cloud  pregnant  with  the  elements  of  de- 
struction, ready  to  burst  upon  European  America,  and  to 
entail  upon  us  those  calamities  which  we  have  so  wantonly 
and  wickedly  inflicted  upon  others. 

A  nation  that  derives  its  subsistence  principally  from  the 
forest  cannot  live  in  the  vicinity  of  one  that  relies  upon  the 
products  of  the  field.  The  clearing  of  the  country  drives 
off  the  wild  beasts  ;  and  when  the  game  fails  the  hunter  must 
starve,  change  his  occupation,  or  retire  from  the  approach  of 
cultivation.  The  savage  has  invariably  preferred  the  last. 
The  Mohawks  were  at  one  period  the  most  numerous  can- 
ton ;  but  they  soon  became  the  smallest.  This  was  on  ac- 
count of  their  propinquity  to  the  whites  ;  while  the  Senecas, 
who  were  more  remote,  were  the  most  populous  [till  the 
tide  of  civilization  has  now  almost  obliterated  the  existence 
of  that  tribe].  There  were  two  other  causes  which  have 
contributed  to  the  destruction  of  the  Mohawks  :  their  ex- 
treme ferocity,  which  distinguished  them  from  the  other 
cantons,  and  which  exposed  them  to  greater  perils  ;  and  the 
early  seduction  of  part  of  their  nation  by  the  French,  who 
prevailed  upon  them  to  migrate  to  Canada.  The  scarcity 
of  food  has  also  been  augmented  by  other  causes  besides 
that  of  cultivating  the  ground.  Formerly,  they  killed  for 
the  sake  of  subsistence :  the  Europeans  instigated  them  to 
kill  for  the  sake  of  the  furs  and  skins.  The  use  of  fire- 
arms has  had  the  efiect,  by  the  explosion  of  powder,  of 
frightening  away  the  game  ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  of  ena- 
bling the  savage  to  compass  their  destruction  with  greater 
facility  than  by  his  ancient  weapon,  the  bow  and  arrow ; 
whose  execution  was  less  certain,  and  whose  operation  was 
less  terrific. 

The  old  Scythian  propensity  for  wandering  from  place  to 
place,  and  to  make  distant  excursions,  predominates  among 
them.  Some,  after  an  absence  of  twenty  years,  have  again 
shown  themselves,  while  others  never  return.  Many  of  the 
Iroquois  are  amalgamated  with  the  Western  Indians.     In 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  375 

1799,  a  colony  of  the  Confederates,  who  had  been  brought 
up  from  their  infancy  under  the  Roman  Catholic  Mission- 
aries, and  instructed  by  them  at  a  village  within  nine  miles 
of  Montreal,  emigrated  to  the  banks  of  the  Saskatchiwine 
River,  beyond  Lake  Winnipeg. 

The  endless  and  destructive  wars  in  which  they  have 
been  involved  have  also  been  a  principal  cause  of  diminish- 
ing their  population.  The  number  of  births  among  savage 
is  always  inferior  to  that  among  civilized  nations,  where 
subsistence  is  easier,  and  where  the  female  sex  are  consid- 
ered the  companions,  the  friends,  and  the  equals  of  man  ; 
and  are  connected  and  associated  with  him  by  the  silken 
ties  of  choice  and  affection,  not  by  the  iron  chains  of  com- 
pulsion and  slavery.  In  times  of  war,  the  number  of  deaths 
among  the  Indians  generally  exceed  that  of  the  births  ;  and 
the  Iroquois,  for  the  last  seventy-five  years,  not  having  been 
able  to  execute,  to  any  great  extent,  their  system  of  adoption, 
have  experienced  a  corresponding  diminution.  The  manner 
of  savage  warfare  is  also  peculiarly  destructive.  Among 
civilized  nations,  great  armies  are  brought  into  the  field  at 
once  ;  and  a  few  years  and  a  great  battle  decides  the  for- 
tune of  the  war,  and  produces  a  peace.  Among  Indians, 
wars  are  carried  on  by  small  detachments,  and  in  detail,  and 
for  a  long  time.  Among  the  former,  they  operate  like  am- 
putation ;  a  limb  is  cut  off,  and  the  remainder  of  the  body 
lives  ;  but  with  savages,  they  resemble  a  slow  and  wasting 
disease,  which  gradually  undermines  the  vital  principle  and 
destroys  the  whole  system. 

Before  their  acquaintance  with  the  man  of  Europe,  they 
were  visited  by  dreadful  diseases,  which  depopulated  whole 
countries.  Just  before  the  settlement  of  New-England, 
some  whole  nations  were  swept  ofi"  by  a  pestilence.  The 
whites  introduced  that  terrible  enemy  of  barbarous  nations, 
the  smallpox  ;  as  well  in  the  north  of  Asia  as  in  America. 
Kamschatka  was  very  populous  until  the  arrival  of  the 
Russians  ;  a  dreadful  visitation  of  the  smallpox  in  1767 
nearly  exterminated  its  inhabitants.*  [Note  B.]  In  1779- 
80,  smallpox  spread  among  the  Killistinoes  or  Kanisteneaux, 
and  Chepewyans,  "  with  a  baneful  rapidity  that  no  fiight  could 
escape,  and  with  a  fatal  effect  that  notliing  could  resist."! 
Nine  tenths  of  the  Northern  Indians,  so  called  by  Hearne, 
were  cut  off  by  it.|     In  1670,  this  disease  depopulated  the 

*  1  Pennant,  p.  215.  t  1  Mackenzie,  p.  17.       --    •"      ' 

t  Hearne's  Journey  to  the  Northern  Ocean,  p.  178. 


37^  APPENDIX. 

north  of  Canada.*  A  whole  nation  called  the  Attetrama- 
sues  were  destroyed.  The  vicinity  of  the  Confederates  to 
the  European  settlements,  and  tlieir  constant  intercourse, 
have  exposed  them  continually  to  its  visitations  ;  and  their 
method  of  cure  being  the  same  in  all  diseases  (immersion  in 
cold  water  after  a  vapor  bath),  has  aggravated  its  ravages. 
Their  imitation  of  the  European  dress  has  also  substituted 
a  lighter  mode  of  clothing  in  lieu  of  warm  furs;  by  which, 
and  their  exposure  to  the  elements,  they  are  peculiarly  sub- 
jected to  consumption  and  inilammatory  complaints.  Lon- 
gevity is,  however,  by  no  means  uncommon  among  them. 
In  their  settlements  you  see  some  very  old  people. 

Need  I  add  to  this  melancholy  catalogue  the  use  of  spir- 
ituous liquors,  which  has  realized  among  them  the  fabulous 
effects  of  the  Bohon-Upas — which  has  been  to  them  "  the 
hydra  of  calamities — the  sevenfold  death,"!  and  which  has 
palsied  all  their  energies,  enfeebled  their  minds,  destroyed 
their  bodies,  rendered  them  inferior  to  the  beasts  of  the  for- 
est, and  operated  upon  them  as  destructively  as 

"  Famine,  war,  or  spotted  pestilence — 
Baneful  as  death,  and  horrible  as  hell."t 

At  the  treaty  held  in  Lancaster  in  1744,  the  Five  Nations 
addressed  the  colonies  of  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  and  Mary- 
land, as  follows  :  "  We  heartily  recommend  union  and  a 
good  agreement  between  you  our  brethren.  Never  dis- 
agree, but  preserve  a  strict  friendship  for  one  another  ;  and 
thereby  you,  as  well  as  we,  will  become  the  stronger.  Our 
wise  forefathers  established  amity  and  friendship  among  the 
Five  Nations.  This  has  made  us  formidable,  and  has  given 
us  great  weight  and  authority  with  the  neighbouring  nations. 
We  are  a  powerful  confederacy  ;  and  by  your  observing  the 
same  means  which  our  wise  forefathers  pursued,  you  will  ac- 
quire fresh  strength  and  power.  Therefore,  whatever  befalls 
you,  never  fall  out  with  one  another."'^  This  ancient  and 
cementing  principle  of  union  and  fraternity,  which  connected 
them  in  friendship,  and  which  was  the  basis  of  their  power 
and  the  pillar  of  their  greatness,  has  been  entirely  driven 
from  them.  The  fury  of  Discord  has  blown  her  horn,  and 
rendered  them  the  prey  of  the  most  ferocious  and  unrelent- 
ing passions.     Party,  in  all  its  forms  and  violence,  rages 

*  Jeffery's,  before  quoted,  p.  110.     Herriot,  p.  132. 

t  Young's  Revenge,     t  Rovve's  Jane  Shore.     ^  2  Golden,  p.  113. 


THE   SIX   NATIONS.  377 

among  them  with  uncontrolled  sway.  Their  nations  are 
split  up  into  fragments — the  son  is  arrayed  against  the 
father — brother  against  brother — families  against  families — 
tribe  against  tribe — and  canton  against  canton.  They  are 
divided  into  factions,  religious,  political,  and  personal — 
Christian  and  pagan — American  and  British — the  followers 
of  Cornplanter  and  Saguaha — of  Skenando  and  Captain 
Peter.  The  minister  of  destruction  is  hovering  over  them  ; 
and  before  the  passing  away  of  the  present  generation,  not 
a  single  Iroquois  will  be  seen  in  this  state. 

It  would  be  an  unpardonable  omission  not  to  mention, 
while  treating  on  this  subject,  that  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that,  previous  to  the  occupancy  of  this  country  by 
the  progenitors  of  the  present  nations  of  Indians,  it  was  in- 
habited by  a  race  of  men  much  more  populous  and  much 
farther  advanced  in  civilization.  The  numerous  remains 
of  ancient  fortifications  which  are  found  in  this  country, 
commencing  principally  near  the  Onondaga  or  Oswego 
River,  and  from  thence  spreading  over  the  Military  Tract, 
the  Genesee  country,  and  the  lands  of  the  Holland  Land 
Company,  over  the  territory  adjoining  the  Ohio  and  its 
tributary  streams,  the  country  on  Lake  Erie,  and  even  ex- 
tending west  of  the  Mississippi,  demonstrate  a  population 
far  exceeding  that  of  the  Indians  when  this  country  was 
first  settled. 

I  have  seen  several  of  these  works  in  the  western  part  of 
this  state.  There  is  a  large  one  in  the  town  of  Onondaga, 
one  in  Pompey,  and  another  in  Manlius  ;  one  in  Camillus, 
eight  miles  from  Auburn  ;  one  in  Scipio,  six  miles,  another 
one  mile,  and  one  about  half  a  mile  from  that  village.  Be- 
tween the  Seneca  and  Cayuga  Lakes  there  are  several — • 
three  within  a  few  miles  of  each  other.  Near  the  village  of 
Canandaigua  there  are  three.  In  a  word,  they  are  scattered 
all  over  that  country. 

These  forts  were,  generally  speaking,  erected  on  the  most 
commanding  ground.  The  walls  or  breastworks  were  earth- 
en. The  ditches  were  on  the  exterior  of  the  works.  On  some 
of  the  parapets,  oak  trees  were  to  be  seen,  which,  from  the 
number  of  the  concentric  circles,  must  have  been  standing 
150,  260,  and  300  years ;  and  there  were  evident  indica- 
tions, not  only  that  they  had  sprung  up  since  the  erection  of 
those  works,  but  that  they  were  at  least  a  second  growth. 
The  trenches  were  in  some  cases  deep  and  wide,  and  in  others 
32* 


378  APPENDIX. 

shallow  and  narrow  ;  and  the  breastworks  varied  in  altitude 
from  three  to  eight  feet.  They  sometimes  had  one,  and 
sometimes  two  entrances,  as  was  to  be  inferred  from  there 
being  no  ditch  at  those  places.  When  the  works  were  pro- 
tected by  a  deep  ravine  or  a  large  stream  of  water  no  ditch 
was  to  be  seen.  The  areas  of  these  forts  varied  from  two 
to  six  acres  ;  and  the  form  was  generally  an  irregular  ellip- 
sis ;  and  in  some  of  them  fragments  of  earthenware  and  pul- 
verized substances,  supposed  to  have  been  originally  human 
bones,  were  to  be  found. 

These  fortifications,  thus  diffused  over  the  interior  of  our 
country,  have  been  generally  considered  as  surpassing  the 
skill,  patience,  and  industry  of  the  Indian  race,  and  various 
hypotheses  have  been  advanced  to  prove  them  of  European 
origin. 

An  American  writer  of  no  inconsiderable  repute  pro- 
nounced some  years  ago  that  the  two  forts  at  the  confluence 
of  the  Muskingum  and  Oliio  Rivers,  one  covering  forty  and 
the  other  twenty  acres,  were  erected  by  Ferdinand  de  Soto, 
who  landed  witli  1000  men  in  Floiida  in  1539,  and  penetrated 
a  considerable  distance  into  the  interior  of  the  country.  He 
allotted  the  large  fort  for  the  use  of  the  Spanish  army  ;  and 
after  being  extremely  puzzled  how  to  dispose  of  the  small 
one  in  its  vicinity,  he  at  last  assigned  it  to  the  swine  that 
generally,  as  he  says,  attended  the  Spaniards  in  those  days 
— being  in  his  opinion  very  necessary,  in  order  to  prevent 
them  from  becoming  estrays,  and  to  protect  them  from  the 
depredations  of  the  Indians. 

When  two  ancient  forts,  one  containing  six  and  the  other 
three  acres,  were  found  near  Lexington  in  Kentucky,  another 
theory  was  propounded  ;  and  it  was  supposed  that  they 
were  erected  by  the  descendants  of  the  Welsh  colonists 
who  are  said  to  have  migrated  under  the  auspices  of  Madoc 
to  this  country,  in  the  twelfth  century ;  that  they  formerly 
inhabited  Kentucky  ;  but,  being  attacked  by  the  Indians,  were 
forced  to  take  refuge  near  the  sources  of  the  Missouri. 

Another  suggestion  has  been  made,  that  the  French,  in 
their  expeditions  from  Canada  to  the  Mississippi,  were  the 
authors  of  these  works  :  but  the  most  numerous  are  to  be 
found  in  the  territory  of  the  Se?iecas,  whose  hostility  to  the 
French  was  such,  that  they  were  not  allowed  for  a  long  time 
to  have  any  footing  among  them.*     The  fort  at  Niagara  was 

•  1  Golden,  p.  61. 


THE    SIX    NATIONS.  379 

obtained  from  them  by  the  intrigues  and  eloquence  of  Jon- 
caire,  an  adopted  child  of  the  nation.* 

Lewis  Dennie,  a  Frenchman,  aged  upward  of  seventy, 
and  who  had  been  settled  and  married  among  the  Confed- 
erates for  more  than  half  a  century,  told  me  (1810)  that,  ac- 
cording to  the  traditions  of  the  ancient  Indians,  these  forts 
were  erected  by  an  army  of  Spaniards,  who  were  the  first 
Europeans  ever  seen  by  them — the  French  the  next — then 
the  Dutch — and,  finally,  the  English  ;  that  this  army  first  ap- 
peared at  Oswego  in  great  force,  and  penetrated  through  the 
interior  of  the  country,  searching  for  the  precious  metals  ; 
that  they  continued  there  two  years,  and  went  down  the  Ohio. 

Some  of  the  Senecas  told  Mr.  Kirkland,  the  missionary, 
that  those  in  their  territory  were  raised  by  their  ancestors  in 
their  wars  with  the  western  Indians,  three,  four,  or  five  hun- 
dred years  ago.  All  the  cantons  have  traditions  that  their 
ancestors  came  originally  from  the  west ;  and  the  Senecas 
say  that  theirs  first  settled  in  the  country  of  the  Creeks. 
The  early  histories  mention  that  the  Iroquois  first  inhabited 
on  the  north  side  of  the  great  lakes  ;  that  they  were  driven 
to  their  present  territory  in  a  war  with  the  Algonkins  or  Ad- 
irondacks,  from  whence  they  expelled  the  Satanas.  If 
these  accounts  are  correct,  the  ancestors  of  the  Senecas  did 
not,  in  all  probability,  occupy  their  present  territory  at  the 
time  they  allege. 

I  believe  we  may  confidently  pronounce  that  all  the  hy- 
potheses which  attribute  those  works  to  Europeans  are  in- 
correct and  fanciful — first,  on  account  of  the  present  number 
of  the  works  ;  secondly,  on  account  of  their  antiquity  ;  hav- 
ing, from  every  appearance,  been  erected  a  long  time  before 
the  discovery  of  America  ;  and,  finally,  their  form  and  man- 
ner are  totally  variant  from  European  fortifications,  either  in 
ancient  or  modern  times. 

It  is  equally  clear  that  they  were  not  the  work  of  the 
Indians.  Until  the  Senecas,  who  are  renowned  for  their  na- 
tional vanity,  had  seen  the  attention  of  the  Americans  at- 
tracted to  these  erections,  and  had  invented  the  fabulous  ac- 
count of  which  I  have  spoken,  the  Indians  of  the  present 
day  did  not  pretend  to  know  anything  about  their  origin. 
They  were  beyond  the  reach  of  all  their  traditions,  and  were 
lost  in  the  abyss  of  unexplored  antiquity. 

*  3  Charlevoix,  letter  15,  p.  227. 


380  APPENDIX. 

The  erection  of  such  prodigious  works  must  have  been 
the  result  of  labour  far  beyond  the  patience  and  perseverance 
of  our  Indians;  and  the  form  and  materials  are  entirely  dif- 
ferent from  those  which  they  are  known  to  make.  These 
earthen  walls,  it  is  supposed,  will  retain  their  original  form 
much  longer  than  those  constructed  with  brick  and  stone. 
They  have  undoubtedly  been  greatly  diminished  by  the 
washing  away  of  the  earth,  the  filling  up  of  the  interior,  and 
the  accumulation  of  fresh  soil :  yet  their  firmness  and  solid- 
ity indicate  them  to  be  the  work  of  some  remote  age.  Add 
to  this,  that  the  Indians  have  never  practised  the  mode  of 
fortifying  by  intrenchments.  Their  villages  or  castles  were 
protected  by  palisades,  which  aflbrdcd  a  sufficient  defence 
against  Indian  weapons.  When  Cartier  went  to  Hochelaga, 
now  Montreal,  in  1535,  he  discovered  a  town  of  the  Iro- 
quois, or  Hurons,  containing  about  fifty  huts.  It  was  en- 
compassed with  three  lines  of  palisadoes,  through  which  was 
one  entrance,  well  secured  with  stakes  and  bars.  On  the 
inside  was  a  rampart  of  timber,  to  which  were  ascents  by 
ladders ;  and  heaps  of  stones  were  laid  in  proper  places  to 
cast  at  an  enemy.  Charlevoix  and  other  writers  agree  in 
representing  the  Indian  fortresses  as  fabricated  with  wood. 
Such,  also,  were  the  forts  of  Sassacus,  the  great  chief  of  the 
Pequots  ;  and  the  principal  fortress  of  the  Narragansets 
was  on  an  island  in  a  swamp,  of  five  or  six  acres  of  rising 
land  :  the  sides  were  made  with  palisades  set  upright,  en- 
compassed with  a  hedge  of  a  rod  in  thickness.* 

I  have  already  alluded  to  the  argument  for  the  great  anti- 
quity of  those  ancient  forts  to  be  derived  from  the  number  of 
concentric  circles.  On  the  ramparts  of  one  of  the  Mus- 
kingum forts,  463  were  ascertained  on  a  tree  decayed  at  the 
centre  ;  and  there  are  likewise  the  strongest  marks  of  a  for- 
mer growth  of  a  similar  size.  This  would  make  those 
works  near  a  thousand  years  old. 

But  there  is  another  consideration  which  has  never  before 
been  urged,  and  which  appears  to  me  to  be  not  unworthy  of 
attention.  It  is  certainly  novel,  and  I  believe  it  to  be 
founded  on  a  basis  which  cannot  easily  be  subverted. 

From  the  Genesee  near  Rochester  to  Lewiston  on  the  Ni- 
agara, there  is  a  remarkable  ridge  or  elevation  of  land  run- 

_       *  Mather's  Magnalia,  p.  693. 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  381 

ning  almost  the  whole  distance,[*]  which  is  seventy-eight 
miles,  and  in  a  direction  from  east  to  west.  Its  general  al- 
titude above  the  neighbouring  land  is  thirty  feet,  and  its  width 
varies  considerably  ;  in  some  places  it  is  not  more  than  forty 
yards.  Its  elevation  above  the  level  of  Lake  Ontario  is  per- 
haps 160  feet,  to  which  it  descends  with  a  gradual  slope  ; 
and  its  distance  from  that  water  is  between  six  and  ten  miles. 
This  remarkable  strip  of  land  would  appear  as  if  intended 
by  nature  for  the  purpose  of  an  easy  communication.  It  is, 
in  fact,  a  stupendous  natural  turnpike,  descending  gently  on 
each  side,  and  covered  with  gravel ;  and  but  little  labour  is 
requisite  to  make  it  the  best  road  in  the  United  States. 
When  the  forests  between  it  and  the  lake  are  cleared,  the 
prospects  and  scenery  which  will  be  afforded  from  a  tour  on 
this  route  to  the  Cataract  of  Niagara  will  surpass  all  compe- 
tition for  sublimity  and  beauty,  variety  and  number. 

There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  this  remarkable 
ridge  was  ihe  ancient  boundary  of  this  great  lake.  The 
gravel  with  which  it  is  covered  was  deposited  there  by  the 
waters  ;  and  the  stones  everywhere  indicate  by  their  shape 
the  abrasion  and  agitation  produced  by  that  element.  All 
along  the  borders  of  the  western  rivers  and  lakes  there  are 
small  mounds  or  heaps  of  gravel  of  a  conical  form,  erected 
by  the  fish  for  the  protection  of  their  spawn  ;  these  fish- 
banks  are  found  in  a  state  that  cannot  be  mistaken,  at  the 
foot  of  the  ridge,  on  the  side  towards  the  lake  :  on  the  op- 
posite side  none  have  been  discovered.  All  rivers  and 
streams  which  enter  the  lake  from  the  south  have  their 
mouths  affected  with  sand  in  a  peculiar  way,  from  the  prev- 
alence and  power  of  the  northwesterly  winds.  The  points 
of  the  creeks  which  pass  through  this  ridge  correspond  ex- 
actly in  appearance  with  the  entrance  of  the  streams  into 
the  lakes.  These  facts  evince  beyond  doubt  that  Lake  On- 
tario has,  perhaps,  one  or  two  thousand  years  ago,  receded 
from  this  elevated  ground.  And  the  cause  of  this  retreat 
must  be  ascribed  to  its  having  enlarged  its  former  outlet,  or 
to  hs  imprisoned  waters  (aided,  probably,  by  an  earthquake) 
forcing  a  passage  down  the  present  bed  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence, as  the  Hudson  did  at  the  Highlands,  and  the  Mohawk 
at  Little  Falls.     On  the  south  side  of  this  great  ridge,  in 


[♦  The  Ridge  likewise  extends  east  of  the  Genesee  River,     See 
Geological  Sketches  in  this  volume.]  ^  -•  •' 


382  APPENDIX. 

its  vicinity,  and  in  all  directions  through  this  country,  the 
remains  of  numerous  forts  are  to  be  seen  ;  but  on  the  north 
side,  that  is,  on  the  side  towards  tlie  lake,  not  a  single  one 
has  been  discovered,  although  the  whole  ground  has  been  care- 
fully explored.  Considering  the  distance  to  be,  say  seventy 
miles  in  length,  and  eight  in  breadth,  and  that  the  border  of  the 
lake  is  the  very  place  that  would  be  selected  for  habitation, 
and  consequently  for  works  of  defence,  on  account  of  the  fa- 
cilities it  would  aftbrd  for  subsistence,  for  safety,  and  all  do- 
mestic accommodations  and  miUtary  purposes  ;  and  that  on 
the  south  shores  of  Lake  Erie  these  ancient  fortresses  exist  in 
great  number,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  these  works  were 
erected  when  this  ridge  was  the  southern  boundary  of  Lake 
Ontario,  and,  consequently,  that  their  origin  niust  be  sought 
in  a  very  remote  age. 

A  great  part  of  North  America  was  then  inhabited  by 
populous  nations,  who  hud  made  considerable  advances  in 
civilization.  These  numerous  works  could  never  have  been 
supplied  with  provisions  without  the  aid  of  agriculture. 
Nor  could  they  have  been  constructed  without  the  use  of  iron 
or  copper,  and  without  a  perseverance,  labour,  and  design 
which  demonstrate  considerable  progress  in  the  arts  of  civil- 
ized life.  A  learned  writer  has  said,  "  I  perceive  no  reason 
why  the  Asiatic  North  might  not  be  an  officina  virorum,  as 
well  as  the  European.  The  overteeming  country  to  the 
east  of  the  Riphsean  Mountains  must  find  it  necessary  to  dis- 
charge its  inhabitants.  The  first  great  wave  of  people  was 
forced  forward  by  the  next  to  it,  more  tumid  and  more  pow- 
erful than  itself:  successive  and  new  impulses  continually 
arriving,  short  rest  was  given  to  that  which  spread  over  a 
more  eastern  tract :  disturbed  again  and  again,  it  covered 
fresh  regions.  At  length,  reaching  the  farthest  limits  of 
the  old  world,  it  found  a  new  one,  v/ith  ample  space  to  oc- 
cupy, unmolested  for  ages."*  After  the  north  of  Asia  had 
thus  exhausted  its  exuberant  population  by  such  a  great 
migration,  it  would  require  a  very  long  period  of  time  to 
produce  a  co-operation  of  causes  sufficient  to  effect  another. 
The  fit  St  mighty  stream  of  people  that  flowed  into  America 
must  have  remained  free  from  external  pressure  for  ages. 
Availing  themselves  of  this  period  of  tranquillity,  they  would 
devote  themselves  to  the  arts  of  peace,  make  rapid  progress 

,       ,     *  1  Pennant's  Arctic  Zoology,  260. 


THE   SIX   NATIONS.  388 

in  civilization,  and  acquire  an  immense  population.  In 
course  of  time  discord  and  war  would  rage  among  them, 
and  compel  the  establishment  of  places  of  security.  At 
last,  they  became  alarmed  by  the  irruption  of  a  horde  of 
barbarians,  who  rushed  like  an  overwhelming  flood  from  the 
north  of  Asia — 

"  A  multitude,  like  which  the  populous  North 
Poured  from  her  frozen  loins  to  pass 
Rhene  or  the  Danaw,  when  her  barbarous  sons 
Came  like  a  deluge  on  the  South,  and  soread 
Beneath  Gibraltar  to  the  Libyan  sands."* 

The  great  law  of  self-preservation  compelled  them  to 
stand  on  their  defence,  to  resist  these  ruthless  invaders,  and 
to  construct  numerous  and  extensive  works  for  protection. 
And  for  a  long  series  of  time  the  scale  of  victory  was  sus- 
pended in  doubt,  and  they  firmly  withstood  the  torrent ;  but, 
like  the  Romans  in  the  decline  of  their  empire,  they  were 
finally  worn  down  and  destroyed  by  successive  inroads  and 
renewed  attacks.  And  the  fortifications  of  which  we  have 
treated  are  the  only  remaining  monuments  of  these  ancient 
and  exterminated  nations.  This  is,  perhaps,  the  airy  nothing 
of  imagination,  and  may  be  reckoned  the  extravagant  dream  of 
a  visionary  mind  :  but  may  we  not,  considering  the  wonder- 
ful events  of  the  past  and  present  times,  and  the  inscruta- 
ble dispensations  of  an  overruling  Providence,  may  we  not 
look  forward  into  futurity,  and,  without  departing  from  the 
rigid  laws  of  probability,  predict  the  occurrence  of  similar 
scenes  at  some  remote  period  of  time  ?  And,  perhaps,  in 
the  decrepitude  of  our  empire,  some  transcendant  genius, 
whose  powers  of  mind  shall  only  be  bounded  by  that  im- 
penetrable circle  which  prescribes  the  limits  of  human  na- 
ture,! may  rally  the  barbarous  nations  of  Asia  under  the 
standard  of  a  mighty  empire.  Following  the  track  of  the 
Russian  colonies  and  commerce  towards  the  northwest 
coast,  and  availing  himself  of  the  navigation,  arms,  and 
military  skill  of  civilized  nations,  he  may,  after  subverting 
the  neighbouring  despotisms  of  the  Old  World,  bend  his 
course  towards  European  America.  The  destinies  of  our 
country  may  then  be  decided  on  the  waters  of  the  Missouri 
or  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Superior.     And  if  Asia  shall  then 

*  Milton's  Paradise  Lost. 

+  Roscoe's  Lorenzo  de  Medicis,  241.  " 


384  APPENDIX. 

revenge  upon  our  posterity  the  injuries  we  have  inflicted 
upon  her  sons,  a  new,  a  long,  and  a  gloomy  night  of  Gothic 
darkness  will  set  in  upon  mankind.  And  when,  after  the 
efflux  of  ages,  the  returning  efl'ulgence  of  intellectual  light 
shall  again  gladden  the  nations,  then  the  widespread  ruins 
of  our  cloud-capped  towers,  of  our  solemn  temples,  and  of  our 
magnificenl  cities,  will,  like  the  works  of  which  we  have 
treated,  become  the  subject  of  curious  research  and  elabo- 
rate investigation. 


Note  A. — Wars   of  the   Six  Nations  and   the   SoutJicrn 
Indians,  Sfc. 

Respecting  the  wars  of  the  Six  Nations  "  against  the  Ca- 
tawbas,  Cherokees,  and  almost  all  the  southern  Indians,"  to 
which  allusion  is  made  in  the  Historical  Discourse  of  Mr. 
Clinton,  there  are  some  passages  in  the  narrative  of  the 
White  Woman  which  are  strongly  illustrative  of  the  san- 
guinary character  of  the  conflicts.  Speaking  of  her  last 
husband,  Hiokatoo,  a  chief  of  the  Senecas,  who  died  beside 
Genesee  River  in  181 1,  at  the  age  of  103  years,  she  says — 

"In  the  year  1731,  he  was  appointed  a  runner  to  assist  in 
collecting  an  army  to  go  against  the  Cotawpes,  Cherokees, 
and  other  southern  Indians.  A  large  army  was  collected, 
and  after  a  long  and  fatiguing  march,  met  its  enemies  in  what 
was  then  called  the  '  low,  dark  and  bloody  lands,'  near  the 
mouth  of  Red  River,  in  what  is  now  called  the  State  of  Ken- 
lucky.  (Those  powerful  armies,  remarks  the  biographer  of 
the  White  Woman,  met  near  the  place  that  is  now  called 
Clarksville,  which  is  situated  at  the  fork  where  Red  River 
joins  the  Cumberland,  a  few  miles  above  the  line  between 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee.)  The  Cotawpes  and  their  asso- 
ciates had  by  some  means  been  apprized  of  their  approach, 
and  lay  in  ambush  to  take  them  at  once,  when  they  should 
come  within  their  reach,  and  destroy  their  whole  army. 
The  northern  Indians,  with  their  usual  sagacity,  discovered 
the  situation  of  their  enemies,  rushed  upon  the  ambuscade, 
and  massacred  1200  on  the  spot.  The  battle  continued 
for  two  days  and  two  nights  with  the  utmost  severity,  in 
which  the  northern  Indians  were  victorious,  and  so  far  suc- 
ceeded in  destroying  the  Cotawpes,  that  they  at  that  time 


THE   SIX   NATIONS.  385 

ceased  to  be  a  nation.  The  victors  suffered  an  immense 
loss  in  killed,  but  gained  the  hunting-ground,  which  was 
their  grand  object,  though  the  Cherokees  would  not  give  it 
up  in  a  treaty,  nor  consent  to  make  peace.  Bows  and  ar- 
rows at  that  time  were  in  general  use,  though  a  few  guns 
were  employed." 

The  biographer  of  the  White  Woman  "  acknowledges 
himself  unacquainted,  from  Indian  history,  with  a  nation  of 
this  name  (the  Cotawpes) ;  but,  as  so  many  years  have 
elapsed  since  the  date  of  this  occurrence  (1731),  it  is  highly 
probable  that  such  a  nation  did  exist,  and  that  it  was  abso- 
lutely exterminated  at  that  eventful  period." 

The  worthy  biographer  will  see  that  a  change  in  the 
spelling  of  a  single  name — Catawbas  instead  of  Cotawpes — 
renders  the  testimony  of  his  ancient  heroine  accordant  with 
that  of  Mr.  Clinton  respecting  the  wars  between  the  Six  Na- 
tions and  the  southern  Indians. 

"  Since  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war," 
adds  the  White  Woman,  •'  Hiokatoo  has  been  in  seventeen 
campaigns,  four  of  which  were  in  the  Cherokee  war.  He 
was  so  great  an  enemy  to  the  Cherokees,  and  so  fully  deter- 
mined upon  their  sjibjugation,  that  on  his  march  to  their 
country  he  raised  his  own  army  for  those  four  campaigns, 
and  commanded  it,  and  also  superintended  its  subsistence. 
In  one  of  those  campaigns,  which  continued  two  whole 
years  without  intermission,  he  attacked  his  enemies  on  the 
Mobile,  drove  them  to  the  country  of  the  Creek  nation, 
where  he  continued  to  harass  them,  till,  being  tired  of  war, 
he  returned  to  his  family.  He  brought  home  a  great  num- 
ber of  scalps  which  he  had  taken  from  the  enemy,  and  ever 
seemed  to  possess  an  unconquerable  wish  that  the  Cherokees 
might  be  wholly  destroyed." 


Note  B. — Ravages  of  Disease  among  the  Indian  Tribes. 

In  illustration  of  this  point — in  reference  to  the  combined 
influences  of  rum  and  disease  upon  the  aborigines — some 
recent  events  may  be  mentioned  here.  A  letter  recently 
published  from  Mr.  Catlin,  the  celebrated  painter  of  the  In- 
dian tribes,  contains  this  horrid  relation  concerning  the 
smallpox  :  "  Only  one  year  and  a  half  ago  I  was  at  Prairie 
33 


386  APPENDIX. 

du  Chien,  on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  where  I  beheld  its 
frightful  effects  among  the  Winnebagoes  and  Sioux.  Every 
other  man  among  them  was  slain  by  it :  and  Owa-be-shaw, 
the  greatest  man  of  the  Sioux,  with  half  of  his  band,  died 
under  the  corners  of  fences,  in  little  groups,  to  which  kindred 
ties  held  them  in  ghastly  death,  with  their  bodies  swollen 
and  covered  with  pustules — their  eyes  blinded — and  hide- 
ously howling  their  death-song  in  utter  despair — afl'ection- 
ately  clinging  to  each  other's  necks  with  one  hand,  and 
grasping  bottles  of  whiskey  in  the  other." 

Several  other  tribes  have  since  been  awfully  scourged  by 
the  pestilence  ;  and  the  opinion  was  expressed  in  one  of  Mr. 
Catlin's  late  lectures,  that  the  havoc  would  continue  its  rav- 
ages to  the  Rocky  Mountains  or  the  shores  of  the  Pacific — 
almost  exterminating  many  of  the  most  powerful  tribes. 
These  facts  furnish  a  fearful  corroboration  of  the  remarks 
of  Mr.  Clinton  on  the  ravages  of  pestilence  among  the  Red 
Men. 


NOTICES  OF  INDIAN  WARFARE. 

Indian  Accounts  of  the  Alliance  between  the  British  and  the 
Six  Nations  during  the  Revolutionary  War. 

As  a  matter  of  curiosity,  we  have  collected  the  remarks 
of  some  prominent  personages  among  the  Six  Nations  ex- 
planatory of  the  feelings  by  which  those  tribes  were  influ- 
enced to  lift  the  hatchet  against  the  Americans  during  the 
revolutionary  war.  Who  can  peruse  the  statement  without 
responding  to  the  language  by  which  Chatham  "  damned  to 
everlasting  fame"  the  pale-faced  miscreants  who  thus,  with 
rum  and  clothing,  bribed  the  savages  to  violate  their  faith, 
and  wage  murderous  warfare  upon  the  struggling  colonists  ? 
The  White  Woman,  the  intelligent  wife  of  Hiokatoo,  a  chief 
of  the  Senecas,  said  : 

"After  the  conclusion  of  the  French  war  [or,  rather,  after 
the  termination  of  the  difficulties  consequent  on  the  connexion 
of  the  Senecas  with  the  conspiracy  of  Pontiac],  our  tribe  had 
nothing  to  trouble  them  till  the  commencement  of  the  revo- 
lution. For  twelve  or  thirteen  years  the  implements  of  war 
were  not  known  nor  the  warwhoop  heard,  save  on  days  of 


THE    SIX    NATIONS.  387 

festivity  ;  when  the  achievements  of  former  times  were  com- 
memorated in  a  kind  of  mimic  warfare,  in  which  the  chiefs 
and  warriors  displayed  their  prowess  and  illustrated  their 
former  adroitness  by  laying  the  ambuscade,  surprising  their 
enemies,  and  performing  many  accurate  manoeuvres  with  the 
tomahawk  and  scalping-knife  ;  thereby  preserving  and  hand- 
ing to  their  children  the  theory  of  Indian  warfare.  During 
that  period  they  also  pertinaciously  observed  the  religious 
rites  of  their  progenitors,  by  attending  with  the  most  scrupu- 
lous exactness  and  a  great  degree  of  enthusiasm  to  the  sac- 
rifices at  different  times  to  appease  the  anger  of  the  Evil 
Deity,  or  to  excite  the  commiseration  and  friendship  of  the 
Great  Good  Spirit,  whom  they  adored  with  reverence  as  the 
Author,  Governor,  Supporter,  and  Disposer  of  every  good 
thing  of  which  they  participated.  They  also  practised  in 
various  athletic  games,  such  as  running,  wrestling,  leaping, 
and  playing  ball,  with  a  view  that  their  bodies  might  be  more 
supple,  or,  rather,  that  they  might  not  become  enervated,  and 
that  they  might  be  enabled  to  make  a  proper  selection  of 
chiefs  for  the  councils  of  the  nation  and  leaders  for  war. 
No  people  can  live  more  happy  than  the  Indians  did  in  times 
of  peace,  before  the  introduction  of  spirituous  liquors  among 
them.  Their  lives  were  a  continual  round  of  pleasures. 
Their  wants  were  few,  and  easily  satisfied ;  and  their  cares 
were  only  for  to-day ;  the  bounds  of  their  calculations  for 
future  comforts  scarcely  extending  to  the  incalculable  un- 
certainties of  to-morrow.  If  ever  peace  dwelt  with  men, 
it  was  in  former  times,  in  the  recesses  from  war,  among 
those  who  are  now  termed  barbarians.  The  moral  char- 
acter of  the  Indians  was  (if  I  may  be  allowed  the  expres- 
sion) uncontaminated.  Their  fidelity  was  perfect,  and  be- 
came proverbial ;  they  were  strictly  honest  ;  they  despised 
deception  and  falsehood  ;  and  chastity  was  held  in  high 
veneration — a  violation  of  it  was  considered  sacrilege.  They 
were  temperate  in  their  desires,  moderate  in  their  passions, 
and  candid  and  honourable  in  the  expression  of  their  senti- 
ments on  every  subject  of  importance. 

"  Thus,  at  peace  among  themselves  and  with  the  neigh- 
bouring whites,  though  there  were  none  at  that  time  very 
near,  our  Indians  lived  quietly  and  peaceably  at  home  till  a 
little  before  the  breaking  out  of  the  revolutionary  war,  when 
they  were  sent  for,  together  with  the  chiefs  and  members  of 
the  Six  Nations  generally,  by  the  people  of  the  States,  to  go 


388  APPENDIX. 

to  German  Flats,  and  there  hold  a  general  council,  in  order 
that  the  people  of  the  States  might  ascertain,  in  good  season, 
whom  they  should  esteem  and  treat  as  enemies  and  whom  as 
friends  in  the  great  war  which  was  then  upon  the  point  of 
breaking  out  between  them  and  the  King  of  England. 

"  Our  Indians  obeyed  the  call,  and  the  council  was  holden, 
at  which  the  Pipe  of  Peace  was  smoked  and  a  treaty  made, 
in  which  the  Six  Naiions  solemnly  agreed  that,  if  a  war 
should  eventually  break  out,  they  would  not  take  up  arms 
on  either  side  ;  but  that  they  would  observe  a  strict  neutral- 
ity. With  that  the  people  of  the  Slates  were  satisfied,  as 
they  did  not  ask  their  assistance,  and  did  not  wish  it.  The 
Indians  returned  to  their  homes,  well  pleased  that  they  could 
live  on  neutral  ground,  surrounded  with  the  din  of  war  without 
being  engaged  in  it." 

'i'he  treaty  here  referred  to  was  made  by  General  Schuy- 
ler with  the  Indian  Council  assembled  at  German  Flats  on 
the  14th  of  June,  1776,  pursuant  to  an  act  of  Congress  of 
the  6lh  May,  providing  "that  treaties  should  be  held  with 
llie  Indians  in  the  different  departments  as  soon  as  practica- 
ble," Sic. 

"  About  a  year  passed  off,"  says  the  White  W^oman,  "  and 
we,  as  usual  for  some  years  before,  were  enjoying  ourselves 
in  the  employments  of  peaceable  times,  when  a  messenger 
arrived  from  the  British  commissioners,  requesting  all  the 
Indians  of  our  tribe  to  attend  a  general  council  which  was 
soon  to  be  held  at  Oswego.  The  council  convened ;  and 
being  opened,  the  British  commissioners  informed  the  chiefs 
that  the  object  of  calling  a  council  of  the  Six  Nations  was  to 
engage  their  assistance  in  subduing  the  rebels,  the  people  of 
the  Slates,  who  had  risen  up  against  the  good  king  their 
master,  and  were  about  to  rob  him  of  a  great  part  of  his 
possessions  and  wealth.  The  commissioners  added  that 
they  would  amply  reward  the  Indians  for  all  their  services. 

"  The  chiefs  then  arose  and  informed  the  commissioners 
of  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  treaty  which  they  had  entered 
into  with  the  people  of  the  Slates  the  year  before,  and  that 
they  should  not  violate  it  by  taking  up  the  hatchet  against 
them.  The  commissioners  continued  their  entreaties  without 
success  till  they  addressed  their  avarice  and  appetites.  They 
told  our  people  that  the  people  of  the  Stales  were  few  in 
number  and  easily  subdued  ;  and  that,  on  account  of  their 
disobedience  to  the  king,  they  justly  merited  all  the  punish- 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  389 

ment  that  it  was  possible  for  white  men  and  Indians  to  inflict 
upon  them.  They  added  that  the  king  was  rich  and  pow- 
erful, both  in  money  and  subjects  ;  that  Ms  rum  was  as 
plenty  as  the  loater  in  Lake  Ontario ;  that  his  men  were  as 
numerous  as  the  sands  upon  the  lake  shore  ;  and  that  the 
Indians,  if  they  would  assist  in  the  war  and  persevere  in 
their  friendship  to  the  king  till  it  was  closed,  should  never 
want  for  money  or  goods.  Upon  this  the  chiefs  concluded 
a  treaty  with  the  British  commissioners,  in  which  they 
agreed  to  take  up  arms  against  the  rebels,  and  continue  in 
the  service  of  his  majesty  till  they  were  subdued,  in  consid- 
eration of  certain  conditions  which  were  stipulated  in  the 
treaty  to  be  performed  by  the  British  government  and  its 
agents. 

"  As  soon  as  the  treaty  was  finished,  the  commissioners 
made  a  present  to  each  Indian  of  a  suit  of  clothes,  a  brass 
kettle,  a  gun,  a  tomahawk,  a  scalping-knife,  a  quantity  of 
powder  and  lead,  and  a  piece  of  gold  ;  promising  likewise 
a  bounty  on  every  scalp  that  should  be  brought  in.  Thus 
richly  clad  and  equipped,  they  returned  home,  after  an  ab- 
sence of  about  two  weeks,  full  of  the  fire  of  war  and  anxious 
to  encounter  their  enemies.  Many  of  the  kettles  which  the 
Indians  received  at  that  time  were  in  use  on  the  Genesee 
Flats"  at  the  time  when  the  remnants  of  the  Senecas  were 
abandoning  our  riverside  for  the  west,  from  1825  to  1835. 

The  council  at  which  the  British  succeeded  in  causing  the 
Six  Nations  to  arm  against  the  colonists  was  held  at  Fort 
Oswego  in  July,  1777— Sir  John  Johnson  and  Colonel 
Walter  Biuler  were  the  British  officers  who  officiated  on  the 
occasion.  The  force  of  regulars,  Indians,  and  tories  then 
and  there  congregated  was  indicated  by  the  proclamation  of 
General  Herkimer  calling  on  all  patriots  between  sixteen  and 
sixty  years  to  rally  for  defence  against  "  the  enemy  of  about 
2000  strong,  Christians  and  savages,  who  had  arrived  at 
Oswego  to  invade  our  frontier,"  &c. 

A  few  days  before  the  issuing  of  this  proclamation,  an  in- 
terview occurred  between  General  Herkimer  and  the  chief- 
tain Brant,  which  may  be  noticed  as  illustrative  of  the  causes 
that  produced  the  alliance  between  the  British  and  savages 
at  Oswego.     The  Annalist  of  Tryon  county  observes— 

"•  In  June,  1777,  Brant  went  up  to  Unadilla  with  a  party 
of  seventy  or  eighty  Indians,  and  sent  for  the  officers  of  the 
militia  company  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Johnstone.     Brant  in- 
33* 


390  APPENDIX. 

formed  them  that  '  the  Indians  were  in  want  of  provisions ; 
that,  if  they  could  not  get  them  by  consent,  they  must  by 
force  ;  that  their  agreement  with  tlie  king  was  very  strong, 
and  that  they  were  not  such  villains  as  to  break  their  cove- 
nant with  him  ;  that  they  were  natural  warriors,  and  could 
not  bear  to  be  threatened  by  Gen.  Schuyler  ;  that  they  were 
informed  that  the  Mohawks  were  confined  (that  is  probably 
the  few  that  remained  behind,  the  great  body  of  the  tribe 
having  removed  to  Canada,  &:c.),  and  had  not  liberty  to 
pass  and  repass  as  formerly  ;  that  they  were  determined  to 
be  free,  as  they  were  a  free  people,  and  desired  to  have 
their  friends  removed  from  the  Mohawk  River ;  lest,  if  the 
Western  Indians  should  come  down,  their  friends  might  suf- 
fer with  the  rest,  as  they  would  pay  no  respect  to  persons.' 
The  inhabitants  let  Brant  have  provisions  :  after  staying 
two  days,  the  Indians  returned,  taking  with  them  cattle, 
sheep,  &c.  The  inhabitants  friendly  to  the  country  imme- 
diately removed  their  families  and  effects  to  places  of  greater 
security. 

•'  Information  having  been  given.  Gen.  Herkimer  in  July 
marched  to  Unadilla  with  380  militia.  He  was  met  here 
by  Brant  at  the  head  of  130  warriors.  Brant  complained 
of  the  same  grievances  as  above  set  forth.  To  the  question 
whether  lie  would  remain  in  peace  if  these  things  were  rec- 
tified, he  replied — '  The  Indians  were  in  concert  with  the 
king,  as  their  fathers  and  grandfathers  had  been  ;  that  the 
king's  belts  were  lodged  with  them,  and  they  could  not  fal- 
sify" their  pledge;  that  Gen.  Herkimer  and  the  rest  had  join- 
ed the  Boston  people  against  their  king;  that  the  Boston 
people  were  resolute,  but  the  king  would  humble  ihem  ;  that 
Mr.  Schuyler,  or  general,  or  what  you  please  to  call  him, 
was  very  smart  on  the  Indians  at  the  treaty  at  German 
Flats,  hut  teas  not,  at  the  same  lime,  able  to  afford  them  the 
smallest  article  of  clothing ;  that  the  Indians  had  formerly 
made  war  on  the  white  people  all  united  ;  and  now  they 
were  divided,  the  Indians  were  not  frightened.' 

"  After  Brant  had  declared  his  determination  to  espouse 
the  cause  of  the  king,  Col.  Cox  said,  if  such  was  his  resolu- 
tion, the  matter  was  ended.  Brant  turned  and  spoke  to  his 
warriors,  who  shouted  and  ran  to  their  camp,  about  a  mile 
distant,  when,  seizing  their  arms,  they  fired  a  number  of 
guns,  and  raised  the  Indian  warwhoop.  They  returned  im- 
mediately, when  Gen.  Herkimer,  addressing  Brant,  told  him 


THE    SIX    NATIONS.  391 

he  had  not  come  to  fight.  Brant  motioned  to  his  followers 
to  •  emain  in  their  places  ;  then,  assuming  a  threatening  at- 
titude, he  said,  if  their  purpose  was  war,  he  was  ready  for 
them.  He  then  proposed  that  Mr.  Stewart,  the  missionary 
among  the  Mohawks  (who  was  supposed  friendly  to  the 
English),  and  the  wife  of  Col.  Butler,  should  be  permitted 
to  pass  from  the  lower  to  the  upper  Mohawk  Castle. 

"  Gen.  Herkimer  assented,  but  demanded  that  the  tories 
and  deserters  should  be  given  up  to  him.  This  was  refused 
by  Brant,  who,  after  some  farther  remarks,  added,  that  he 
would  go  to  Oswego,  and  hold  a  treaty  with  Col.  Butler 
[the  result  of  which  treaty  is  already  stated].  This  singu- 
lar conference  between  Brant  and  Herkimer  was  singularly 
terminated.  It  was  early  in  July,  and  the  sun  shone  forth 
without  a  cloud  to  obscure  it ;  and,  as  its  rays  gilded  the 
tops  of  the  forest  trees,  or  were  reflected  from  the  waters  of 
the  Susquehannah,  imparted  a  rich  tint  to  the  wild  scenery 
with  which  they  were  surrounded.  The  echo  of  the  war- 
whoop  had  scarcely  died  away  before  the  heavens  became 
black,  and  a  violent  storm  of  hail  and  rain  obliged  each 
party  to  withdraw  and  seek  the  nearest  shelter.  Men  less 
superstitious  than  many  of  the  unlettered  yeomen  who, 
leaning  upon  their  arms,  were  witnesses  of  the  events  of 
this  day,  could  not  have  failed  in  after  times  to  look  back 
upon  them,  if  not  as  an  omen,  at  least  as  an  emblem,  of 
those  dreadful  massacres  with  which  these  Indians  and  their 
associates  afterward  visited  the  inhabitants  of  this  unfortu- 
nate frontier. 

"  Gen.  Herkimer  appears  to  have  been  unwilling  to  urge 
matters  to  extremes,  though  he  had  sufficient  power  to  have 
defeated  that  body  of  Indians.  He  no  doubt  entertained 
hopes  that  some  amicable  arrangements  would  eventually 
be  made  with  them. 

"  This  is  believed  to  have  been  the  last  conference  held 
with  any  of  the  Six  Nations,  except  the  Oneidas,  in  which 
an  effort  was  made  to  prevent  the  Indians  engaging  in  the 
war.  In  the  remarks  of  Brant  will  be  found  what  was  no 
doubt  one  of  the  principal  reasons  of  the  Indians  joining 
the  English,  and  which  liberal  gifts  on  our  part  might  prob- 
ably have  prevented.  As  before  remarked,  they  had  been 
accustomed  to  receive  most  of  their  clothing  and  other  ne- 
cessaries from  the  English  agents  and  superintendent.  And 
now,  when  they  received  from  the  Americans  little  save 


392  APPENDIX. 

professions  of  friendship,  they  were  led  to  conclude  that  they 
were  either  poor  or  penurious,  and  therefore  formed  an  alli- 
ance coupled  with  more  immediate  and  substantial  benefits. 
Col.  Guy  Johnson  is  said  to  have  addressed  the  Indians  at 
one  of  their  councils  as  follows  :  'Are  they  (the  Americans) 
able  to  give  you  anything  more  than  a  piece  of  bread  and 
a  glass  of  rum  ?  Are  you  willing  to  go  vvitli  them,  and  suf- 
fer them  to  make  horses  and  oxen  of  you  ;  to  put  you  into 
wheelbarrows,  and  to  bring  you  all  into  slavery?'  " 

The  causes  which  led  the  Indians  to  espouse  the  British 
interest  in  the  revolutionary  war  were  incidentally  noticed 
by  Cornplanier  (alias  Abeel)  in  a  communication  to  the 
Pennsylvania  liegislature  in  1822.  This  chief  and  Red 
Jacket  were  rivals ;  and  the  first  was  as  friendly  to  the 
whites  as  the  latter  was  hostile  when  forming  the  treaty  of 
peace  at  Fort  Stanwix  in  1784.  Cornplaiiter  was  rewarded 
for  his  friendship  by  a  grant  of  land  along  the  Allegany 
River — in  writing  from  wltich  place  he  says,  among  other 
particulars  of  his  life — 

"  1  will  tell  you  now,  brothers,  who  are  in  session  in  the 
Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  that  llie  Great  Spirit  has  made 
known  to  me  that  1  have  been  wicked  ;  and  the  cause  thereof 
was  the  revolutionary  war  in  America.  The  cause  of  In- 
dians having  been  led  into  sin  at  that  time  was,  that  many 
of  them  were  in  the  practice  of  drinking  and  getting  intoxi- 
cated. Great  Britain  requested  us  to  join  in  the  conflict 
against  the  Americans,  and  promised  the  Indians  money  and 
liquor.  I  myself  was  opposed  to  joining  in  the  conflict,  as  I 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  difficulty  that  existed  between 
the  two  parties." 

With  the  exception  of  a  small  portion  of  the  Oneidas  and 
Tuscaroras,  and  a  few  Mohawks,  the  Six  Nations  co-oper- 
ated with  the  British  and  tories  in  all  the  atrocities  which 
marked  our  border  warfare  during  the  revolutionary  war. 
It  is  but  justice  to  say  that  in  this  cruel  career  they  were 
steadily  stimulated  and  frequently  surpassed  by  tories  like 
Butler,  Johnson,  Gurty,  and  that  miscreant  Allen  who  af- 
terward built  the  first  mill  on  the  Genesee  where  Roches- 
ter now  stands.  The  ferocity  of  the  Indians  was  signally 
manifested  at  the  siege  of  Fort  Stanwix,  where  Gansevoort 
and  Willeit  boldly  defended  the  American  flag ;  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Oriskany,  where  the  gallant  Herkimer  fell,  bravely 
fighting  against  the  ambushed  British  and  Indians  ;  at  the 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  393 

massacres  of  Cherry  Valley  and  Wyoming,  and  at  other 
similar  scenes,  the  horrors  of  which  aroused  such  general 
indignation  throughout  the  Union,  that  the  government  de- 
voted its  energies  in  the  fall  of  1788  to  equip  the  expedition 
under  Sullivan  which  wreaked  signal  vengeance  on  the  Six 
Nations  by  a  blow  from  which  they  never  recovered. 


Sullivan's  Expedition  against  the  Six  Nations  as  far  as  the 
Genesee,  in  1779. 

The  expedition  of  Sullivan  is  worthy  of  record  here,  not 
merely  from  its  influence  on  the  Six  Nations,  but  with  refer- 
ence to  the  settlement  of  the  Genesee  country.  "  The  fer- 
tility of  the  western  part  of  the  state  had  been  discovered  by 
Sullivan's  expedition,"  says  the  intelligent  annalist  of  "  Try- 
on  County,"  as  all  the  State  of  New-York  west  of  Albany 
county  was  called  before  the  revolution.  "  These  and  other 
subsequent  circumstances  produced  a  tide  of  emigration  to 
the  West,  which  has  not  yet  ceased  to  flow,  and  which  still 
pours  on  its  flood  into  the  far  unbroken  wilderness.  Many 
of  the  soldiers  who  were  at  the  close  of  the  war  without 
homes,  and  who  had  been  stationed  along  the  frontier,  re- 
turned and  settled  upon  the  places  of  their  former  trials  and 
sufferings." 

The  prominent  events  of  Sullivan's  expedition  were 
briefly  and  vividly  narrated  by  John  Salmon,  one  of  the  en- 
terprising pioneers  who  settled  on  the  Genesee  River  after 
serving  patriotically  through  the  revolutionary  war  in  the 
army  with  which  he  had  previously  desolated  the  Indian  set- 
tlements. Mr.  Salmon,  who  died  last  fall  (1837),  was  for- 
merly from  Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
orderly  sergeant  of  Capt.  Simpson's  company  during  the  ex- 
pedition of  Sullivan.  He  had  previously  served  under  the 
gallant  General  Morgan  ;  and  the  section  of  the  Genesee 
country  where  he  located  was  near  the  scene  of  some  of  the 
most  tragical  events  of  the  expedition  under  Sullivan  which 
first  caused  him  to  visit  the  Seneca  territory. 

To  repress  the  hostilities  and  avenge  the  barbarities  of 
the  Six  Nations,  Congress  recommended  and  Gen.  Wash- 
ington adopted  the  most  rigorous  measures  in  1779.  The 
atrocities  perpetrated  at  Cherry  Valley  and  elsewhere  in 


394  APPENDIX. 

the  State  of  New- York,  as  well  as  at  Wyoming  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, excited  throughout  the  army  a  burning  thirst  for  sum- 
mary vengeance  upon  the  foe  that  "  hung  like  the  scythe  of 
death  upon  the  rear  of  our  settlements" — a  foe  whose 
"deeds  were  inscribed  with  thescalping-knife  and  the  toma- 
hawk in  characters  of  blood  on  the  fields  of  Wyoming  and 
Cherry  Valley,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Mohawk." 

Gen.  Sullivan  was  ordered  to  march  into  the  Indian  ter- 
ritory, to  desolate  their  settlements,  and  otherwise  inflict 
signal  retribution  for  the  past,  while  disabling  the  tribes 
from  prosecuting  further  hostilities  with  their  accustomed 
boldness. 

"  When  it  was  first  announced  that  an  army  was  march- 
ing into  their  country,"  says  a  chronicler  of  the  times, 
"  the  Indians  laughed  at  their  supposed  folly,  believing  it 
impossible  for  a  regular  army  to  traverse  the  wilderness 
such  a  distance,  and  to  drive  them  from  their  fastnesses." 

The  statement  made  by  Mr.  Salmon  in  1824,  and  which 
is  imbodied  in  the  "  Narrative"  of  the  Wliile  Woman,  pub- 
lished by  Jas.  E.  Seaver,  Esq.,  presents  the  operations  of 
this  expedition  in  a  manner  which  renders  it  worthy  of  inser- 
tion here,  corroborated  as  it  is  by  the  testimony  of  the  White 
Woman,  by  the  annals  of  Tryon  county,  and  by  other  au- 
thorities. 

"  In  the  autumn  after  the  battle  of  Monmouth  (1778),  Mor- 
gan's riflemen,  to  which  corps  I  belonged,  marched  to  Scho- 
harie, in  the  State  of  New-York,  and  there  went  into  winter- 
quarters.  The  company  to  which  I  was  attached  was  com- 
manded by  Capt.  Michael  Simson ;  and  Thos.  Boyd  of 
Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  was  our  lieutenant. 

"  In  the  following  spring,  our  corps,  together  with  the 
whole  body  of  troops  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Clinton, 
to  the  amount  of  about  1500,  embarked  in  boats  at  Schenec- 
tady, and  ascended  the  Mohawk  as  far  as  German  Flats. 
Thence  we  took  a  direction  to  Otsego  Lake,  descended  the 
Susquehannah,  and  without  any  remarkable  occurrence  ar- 
rived at  Tioga  Point,  where  our  troops  united  with  an  army 
of  1500  men  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Sullivan,  who  had 
reached  that  place  by  the  way  of  Wyoming  some  days  be- 
fore us. 

"  That  part  of  the  army  under  General  Sullivan  had,  on 
their  arrival  at  Tioga  Point,  found  the  Indians  in  some  force 
there,  with  whom  they  had  some  unimportant  skirmishes  be- 


THE   SIX   NATIONS.  395 

fore  our  arrival.  Upon  the  junction  of  these  two  bodies  of 
troops,  General  Sullivan  assumed  the  command  of  the  whole, 
and  proceeded  up  the  Tioga.  When  within  a  few  miles  of 
the  place  now  called  Newtown,  we  were  met  by  a  body  of 
Indians  and  a  number  of  troops  well  known  in  those  times 
by  the  name  of  Butler's  Rangers,  who  had  thrown  up  hastily 
a  breastwork  of  logs,  &c.  They  were,  however,  easily  driven 
from  their  works,  with  considerable  loss  on  their  part,  and 
without  any  injury  to  our  troops.  The  enemy  fled  with  so 
much  precipitation,  that  they  left  behind  them  some  stores 
and  camp  equipage.  They  retreated  but  a  short  distance 
before  they  made  a  stand,  and  built  another  breastwork  of 
considerable  length  in  the  woods  near  an  opening.  Sullivan 
was  soon  apprized  of  their  situation,  divided  his  army,  and 
attempted  to  surround,  by  sending  one  half  to  the  right  and 
the  other  to  the  left,  with  directions  to  meet  on  the  opposite 
sides  of  the  enemy.  In  order  to  prevent  their  retreating,  he 
directed  bombshells  to  be  thrown  over  them,  which  was 
done  ;  but  on  the  shells  bursting,  the  Indians  suspected  that 
a  powerful  army  had  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  them  on  that 
side,  and  fled  with  the  utmost  precipitation  through  one  wing 
of  the  surrounding  army.  A  great  number  of  the  enemy 
were  killed,  and  our  army  suffered  considerably.  This  was 
the  only  regular  stand  made  by  the  Indians. 

"  The  Indians  having  in  this  manner  escaped,  went  up 
the  river  to  a  place  called  the  Narrows,  where  they  were 
attacked  by  our  men,  who  killed  them  in  great  numbers,  so 
that  the  sides  of  the  rocks  next  the  river  appeared  as  though 
blood  had  been  poured  on  them  by  pailfuls.  The  Indians 
threw  their  dead  into  the  river,  and  escaped  the  best  way 
they  could. 

"  From  Newtown  our  army  went  directly  to  the  head  of 
Seneca  Lake,  thence  down  that  lake  to  its  mouth,  where  we 
found  the  Indian  village  at  that  place  (Kanadaseago,  now 
Geneva)  evacuated,  except  by  a  single  inhabitant — a  male 
child,  about  seven  or  eight  years  old,  who  was  found  asleep 
in  one  of  the  Indian  huts,  and  who  was  adopted  by  one  of 
the  officers. 

"  From  the  mouth  of  Seneca  Lake  we  proceeded,  without 
the  occurrence  of  anything  of  importance,  by  the  outlets  of 
the  Canandaigua,  Honeoye,  and  Hemlock  Lakes,  to  the 
head  of  Conesus  Lake,  where  the  army  encamped  on  the 
ground  that  is  now  called  Henderson's  Flats. 


396  APPENDIX. 

"  Soon  after  the  array  had  encamped,  at  the  dusk  of  the 
evening,  a  party  of  twenty-one  men,  under  the  command 
of  Lieutenant  Boyd,  was  detached  from  the  rifle  corps,  and 
sent  out  for  the  purpose  of  reconnoitring  the  ground  near 
the  Genesee  River,  at  a  place  now  called  Williamsburgh 
[the  present  residence  of  Colonel  Fitzhugh],  between  Gen- 
eseo  and  Mount  Morris,  at  a  distance  from  the  camp  of 
about  seven  miles,  under  the  guidance  of  a  faithful  Indian 
pilot  [Hanayerry,  the  Oneida,  whose  fate  is  afterward  men- 
tioned]. That  place  was  the  site  of  an  Indian  village;  and 
it  was  apprehended  that  the  Indians  and  Rangers  might  be 
there  or  in  that  vicinity  in  considerable  force. 

"  On  the  arrival  of  the  parly  at  "Williamsburgh,  they 
found  that  the  Indian  village  had  been  recendy  deserted,  as 
the  fires  in  the  huts  were  still  burning.*  The  night  was  so 
far  spent  when  they  got  to  their  place  of  destination,  that 
Lieutenant  Boyd,  considering  the  fatigue  of  his  men,  con- 
cluded to  remain  during  the  night  near  the  village,  and  to 
send  two  messengers  with  a  report  to  the  camp  in  the  m.orn- 
ing.  Accordingly,  a  little  before  daylight,  he  despatched 
two  men  to  the  main  body  of  the  army  with  information  that 
the  enemy  had  not  been  discovered. 

"  After  daylight,  Lieutenant  Boyd  cautiously  crept  from 
the  place  of  his  concealment,  and  upon  getting  a  view  of  the 
village,  discovered  two  Indians  hovering  about  the  settle- 
ment— one  of  whom  was  immediately  shot  and  scalped  by 
one  of  the  riflemen  whose  name  was  Murphy.  Supposing 
that  if  there  were  Indians  in  that  vicinity,  or  near  the  village, 
they  would  be  instantly  alarmed  by  this  occurrence.  Lieu- 
tenant Boyd  thought  it  most  prudent  to  retire,  and  make  the 
best  of  his  way  to  the  general  encampment  of  our  army. 
They  accordingly  set  out  and  retraced  the  steps  which  they 
had  taken  the  day  before,  till  they  were  intercepted  by  the 
enemy. 

"  On  their  arriving  within  about  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the 
main  army,  they  were  surprised  by  the  sudden  appearance 
of  a  body  of  Indians,  to  the  amount  of  five  hundred,  under 
the  command  of  the  celebrated  Brant,  and  a  similar  number 
of  Rangers  commanded  by  the  infamous  Butler,  who  had 
secreted  themselves  in  a  ravine  of  considerable  extent 
which  lay  across  the  track  that  Lieutenant  Boyd  had  pur- 
sued. 

*  See  account  of  Mrs.  Jemison,  the  "  White  Woman." 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  397 

"  Upon  discovering  the  enemy,  and  knowing  that  the  only- 
chance  for  escape  was  by  breaking  through  their  line  (one 
of  the  most  desperate  enterprises  ever  undertaken),  Lieut. 
Boyd,  after  a  few  words  of  encouragement,  led  his  men  to 
the  attempt.  As  extraordinary  as  it  may  seem,  the  first  on- 
set, though  unsuccessful,  was  made  without  the  loss  of  a 
man  on  the  part  of  the  heroic  band,  though  several  of  the 
enemy  were  killed.  Two  attempts  more  were  made,  which 
were  equally  unsuccessful,  and  in  which  the  whole  party 
fell,  except  Lieut.  Boyd  and  eight  others.  Lieut.  Boyd  and 
a  soldier  named  Parker  were  taken  prisoners  on  the  spot — a 
part  of  the  remainder  fled — and  a  part  fell  on  the  ground 
apparently  dead,  and  were  overlooked  by  the  Indians,  who 
were  too  much  engaged  in  pursuing  the  fugitives  to  notice 
those  who  fell. 

"  When  Lieut.  Boyd  found  himself  a  prisoner,  he  solicited 
an  interview  with  Brant,  whom  he  well  knew  commanded 
the  Indians.  This  chief,  who  was  at  that  moment  near,  im- 
mediately presented  himself,  when  Lieut.  Boyd,  by  one  of 
those  appeals  which  are  known  only  by  those  who  have  been 
initiated  and  instructed  in  certain  mysteries,  and  which  never 
fail  to  bring  succour  to  a  '  distressed  brother,'  addressed  him 
as  the  only  source  from  which  he  could  expect  a  respite  from 
cruel  punishment  or  death.  The  appeal  was  recognised, 
and  Brant  immediately,  and  in  the  strongest  language,  as- 
sured him  that  his  life  should  be  spared. 

"  Lieut.  Boyd  and  his  fellow-prisoner  Parker  were  im- 
mediately conducted  by  a  party  of  the  Indians  to  the  Indian 
village  called  Beard's  town,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Gen- 
esee River,  in  what  is  now  called  Leicester  (near  Moscow). 
After  their  arrival  at  Beard's  town,  Brant,  their  generous 
preserver,  being  called  on  service  which  required  a  few 
hours  absence,  left  them  in  the  care  of  the  British  Colonel 
Butler*  of  the  Rangers — who,  as  soon  as  Brant  had  left  them, 

*  "  The  lories,  who  often  commanded  the  Indians,  were  the  most  bar- 
barous. There  is  a  story  told  of  an  act  in  a  settlement  adjoining  Scho- 
harie, which,  for  the  honour  of  humanity,  would  not  be  believed  were 
it  not  supported  by  undoubted  testimony.  A  party  of  Indians  had  en- 
tered a  house,  and  killed  and  scalped  a  mother  and  a  large  family  of 
children.  They  had  just  completed  their  work  of  death  when  some 
royalists  belonging  to  their  party  came  up,  and  discovered  an  infant  still 
alive  in  the  cradle.  An  Indian  warrior,  noted  for  his  barbarity,  ap- 
proached the  cradle  with  his  uplifted  hatchet.  The  babe  looked  up  in 
his  face  and  smiled  ;  the  feelings  of  nature  triumphed  over  the  ferocity 
34 


398  APPENDIX. 

commenced  an  interrogation  to  obtain  from  the  prisoners  a 
statement  of  the  number,  situation,  and  intentions  of  the  army 
under  Gen.  Sullivan  ;  and  threatened  them,  in  case  they 
hesitated  or  prevaricated  in  their  answers,  to  deliver  them 
up  immediately  to  be  massacred  by  the  Indians,  who,  in 
Brant's  absence,  and  with  the  encouragement  of  their  more 
savage  [white?]  commander,  Butler,  were  ready  to  commit 
the  greatest  cruelties.*  Relying,  prol)al)ly,  on  the  promises 
which  Brant  had  made  them,  and  which  he  undoubtedly 
meant  to  fulfil,  they  refused  to  give  Hutler  the  desired  infor- 
mation. Butler,  upon  this,  hastened  to  put  his  threat  into 
execution.  They  were  delivered  to  some  of  their  most  fe- 
rocious enemies,  who,  after  liaving  put  them  to  very  severe 
torture,  killed  them  by  severing  their  heads  from  their 
bodies. 

"The  main  army,  immediately  after  hearing  of  the  situa- 
tion of  Lieut.  Boyd's  detachment,  moved  on  towards  Gene- 
see River  ;  and,  finding  the  bodies  of  those  who  were  slain  in 
Boyd's  heroic  attempt  to  penetrate  through  the  enemy's  line, 
buried  them  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Groveland,  where 
the  grave  is  to  be  seen  at  this  day. 

"  Upon  their  arrival  at  the  (ienesee  River,  they  crossed 
over,  scoured  the  country  for  some  distance  on  the  river, 
burned  the  Indian  villages  on  the  Genesee  Flats,  and  de- 
stroyed all  their  corn  and  other  means  of  subsistence. 

"  The  bodies  of  Lieut.  Boyd  and  Private  Parker  were 
found  and  buried  near  the  bank  of  Beard's  Creek,  under  a 
bunch  of  wild  plum-trees,  on  the  road,  as  it  now  runs,  from 
Moscow  to  Genesee.  I  was  one  of  those  who  committed  to 
the  earth  the  remains  of  my  friend  and  companion  in  arms, 
the  gallant  Boyd. 

"  Immediately  after  these  events,  the  army  commenced  its 
march  back,  by  the  same  route  that  it  came,  to  Tioga  Point 
— thence  down  the  Susquehannah  to  Wyoming — and  thence 

of  the  savage  :  the  hatchet  fell  from  his  hand,  and  he  was  in  the  act  of 
stooping  down  to  take  the  infant  in  his  arms,  when  one  of  the  royalists, 
cursing  the  Indian  for  his  humanity,  took  it  up  on  the  point  of  his  bay- 
onet, and,  holding  it  up  struggimg  in  the  agonies  of  death,  exclaimed — 
'  This,  loo,  is  a  rebel .''  "  Horrible  as  is  this  tale,  it  finds  a  parallel  among 
the  atrocities  perpetrated  by  Ebenezer  Allen,  the  tory,  otherwise  known 
as  "  Indian  Allen,"  who  built  the  first  mill  and  owned  the  "  Hundred 
Acre  Lot"  where  Rochester  was  afterward  laid  out.  See  "  Notices  of 
the  first  Mills  of  Rochester"  in  this  volume. 
*  See  preceding  note. 


THE   SIX   NATIONS.  399 

across  the  country  to  Morristown,  New-Jersey,  where  we 
went  into  winter-quarters.* 

"■Gen.  Sullivan's  bravery  is  unimpeachable.  He  was, 
however,  unacquainted  with  fighting  the  Indians,  and  made 
use  of  the  best  means  to  keep  them  at  such  a  distance  that 
they  could  not  be  brought  into  an  engagement.  It  was  his 
practice,  morning  and  evening,  to  have  cannon  fired  in  or 
near  the  camp,  by  which  the  Indians  were  notified  of  his 
speed  in  marching,  and  of  his  situation,  and  were  enabled  to 
make  a  seasonable  retreat. 

"  The  foregoing  account,  according  to  the  best  of  my 
recollection,  is  strictly  correct.  John  Salmon." 

This  narrative  of  the  prominent  events  of  Sullivan's  ex- 
pedition is  substantially  corroborated  by  the  journal  of  an 
officer,  quoted  in  the  "  Annals  of  Tryon  County,"  and  by 
the  testimony  of  Mary  Jamison,  "the  White  Woman." 
This  latter  personage  was  at  the  time  settled  as  the  wife  of  the 
Chief  Hiokatoo,  in  Beard's  town,  the  headquarters  of  the 
Senecas  before  the  desolation  produced  by  Sullivan's  army, 
and  took  refuge  then  (where  she  lemained  till  1832)  at  a 
romantic  spot  between  the  high  banks  of  the  Genesee,  be- 
side the  Great  Slide,  and  near  the  Falls  of  Nunda. 

"  The  country  of  the  Onondagas,  the  Cayugas,  and  the 
Senecas,  the  three  western  tribes,  was  completely  overrun 
and  laid  waste,"  says  the  Annalist  of  Tryon  county,  in 
noticing  the  avenging  expedition  of  Sullivan.  "  To  some 
!t  may  seem  that  too  much  severity  was  exercised  in  the 
burning  of  Indian  towns,  and  that  corn,  &;c.,  was  wantonly 
destroyed  ;  but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  was  not  a 
bare  retaliatory  measure,  though  as  such  it  might  have  been 
justified  by  the  previous  conduct  of  the  Indians.  Their 
towns  were  their  retreats,  and  from  thence  they  made  in- 
cursions into  the  settlements :  driven  back  to  Niagara,  and 
rendered  dependant  upon  the  English  for  supplies  of  provis- 
ions, they  would  necessarily  be  much  crippled  in  their  future 
operations.  Though,  as  we  have  seen,  this  campaign  did 
not  put  a  stop  to  the  ravages  of  the  Indians,  yet  they  never 
recovered  from  the  severe  chastisement  which  they  received. 
A  part  only  of  the  Indians  ever  returned  to  their  old  settle- 


*  "  The  loss  of  men  sustained  in  this  expedition,  considering  the  fa- 
tigue and  exposure,  was  very  inconsiderable — not  more  than  forty  in  the 
whole  were  killed  or  died  from  sickness." 


400  APPENDIX. 

ments  from  which  they  were  driven.  During  the  following 
winter,  1779-80,  they  remained  in  and  about  Niagara. 
Provisions  were  scarce ;  those  they  received  were  salt ;  a 
kind  to  which  the  Indians  were  unaccustomed.  They  took 
the  scurvy,  and  died  in  great  numbers.  The  winter  was  un- 
usually cold,  which  increased  the  difficulties  of  their  situa- 
tion." 

Truly  is  it  said  by  the  Tryon  Annalist,  that,  "though 
the  Indians  never  fully  recovered  from  the  severe  chastise- 
ment which  they  received,"  this  campaign  of  Sullivan  "did 
not  put  a  stop  to  the  ravages"  of  the  tribes. 

"  The  next  summer  after  that  campaign,"  said  the  White 
AVoman,  "  our  Indians,  highly  incensed  at  the  whites  for  the 
treatment  they  had  received  and  the  sufferings  they  had 
consequently  endured,  determined  to  take  revenge  by  de- 
stroying their  frontier  settlements.  Cornplanter,  otherwise 
called  John  O'Bail,  led  the  Indians,  and  an  officer  by  the 
name  of  Johnston  [Sir  Guy]  commanded  the  British  in  the 
expedition.  The  force  was  large,  and  strongly  bent  upon 
wreaking  vengeance  en  the  settlements.  After  leaving 
Genesee,  they  marched  directly  to  some  of  the  head  waters 
of  the  Susquehannah  River.  They  also  went  down  the 
Schoharie  Creek  to  the  Mohawk  River  ;  thence  up  that 
river  to  Fort  Stanwix,  and  thence  came  home.  In  their 
route  they  burnt  a  number  of  places  ;  destroyed  all  the  cat- 
tle and  other  property  which  fell  in  their  way  ;  killed  a 
considerable  number  of  white  people,  and  brought  home  a 
few  prisoners." 

The  treaty  between  the  Six  Nations  and  the  United  States, 
formed  at  Fort  Stanwix  in  1784,  is  noticed  elsewhere. 

Can  it  be  wondered  at  that  the  friends  of  Oliver  Phelps 
and  his  followers  manifested  extreme  solicitude,  when  bid- 
ding adieu  to  the  expedition  on  their  departure  from  Massa- 
chusetts to  colonize  this  region  in  1788?  When  it  is  recol- 
lected that  the  forces  which  encouraged  the  Indians  to  per- 
petrate barbarities  on  our  frontiers  during  the  revolution 
held  possession  of  Niagara  and  Oswego  till  after  Jay's 
treaty  in  1795,  it  will  not  appear  surprising  that  many 
doubted  in  1788  whether  the  pioneers  who  then  left  New- 
England  could  long  preserve  their  lives  amid  the  Red  Men 
of  the  "  Genesee  country." 


THE    SIX    NATIONS.  401 

Indian  Difficulties,  subsequent  to  the  Revolution,  affecting 
the  Welfare  of  Western  New-  York. 

Some  information  which  we  have  derived  from  George 
HosMER,  of  Avon,  Livingston  county,  may  be  communicated 
here  as  illustrative  of  an  interesting  portion  of  our  Indian 
history,  and  as  affecting  particularly  the  settlements  in 
Western  New-York. 

The  facts  that  the  British  held  possession  of  some  posts 
(such  as  Niagara,  Oswego,  &c.)  within  our  territory  for  several 
years  after  the  treaty  which  closed  the  revolutionary  war,  that 
the  Indians,  rankling  for  revenge  for  the  chastisement  inflicted 
by  Sullivan,  &;c.,  were  stimulated  from  those  posts  to  the  per- 
petration of  hostile  acts  towards  the  people  on  our  frontiers, 
have  been  already  mentioned.  The  uneasiness  produced  by 
this  state  of  things  is  plainly  manifested  in  the  eflbrts  of  the 
United  States  government  to  propitiate  the  Six  Nations  at  the 
treaties  held  by  General  Harmar  in  17S9,  and  by  Colonel 
Pickering  at  Canandaigua  in  1794. 

"  The  fact  is  not  generally  known,"  says  Mr.  Hosmer,  in 
reply  to  our  inquiries,  "that  our  New-York  Indians  were  in 
correspondence  with  the  western  and  hostile  Indians  during 
the  late  war,  and  prior  to  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe.  My 
wife  speaks  the  Seneca  language  fluently,  and  the  Indians 
have  been  in  the  habit  of  laying  their  grievances  before  me, 
and  asking  my  counsel.  This  led  to  a  communication  from 
them  of  their  earliest  information  of  passing  events  ;  and  it 
is  remarkable  that  we  obtained  through  them  news  of  all  the 
important  movements  on  the  northwestern  frontier — such  as 
the  fall  of  Mackinaw,  the  battle  of  Brownstown,  fcc,  one 
or  two  days  before  the  information  became  known  to  us 
through  other  channels.  This  must  have  been  eff'ected 
through  the  chain  of  runners  connecting  the  friendly  or  neu- 
tral with  the  hostile  Indians. 

"In  1816  I  went  with  Captain  Parrish  (the  Indian  agent) 
and  a  delegation  of  chiefs  from  the  tribes  in  this  state  to  the 
country  of  the  Wyandots  at  the  Upper  Rapids  of  the  San- 
dusky, and  there  attended  a  council  held  with  the  delegated 
chiefs  from  the  Wyandots,  Shawnees,  Delawares,  Ottowas, 
Piankashaws,  and  other  western  tribes.  I  then  learned  the 
fact  (not  generally  known  at  the  time)  that  there  had  been 
among  the  warriors  opposed  to  Harrison  at  Tippecanoe,  ia 


402  APPENDIX. 

a  time  of  general  peace,  many  warriors  from  the  tribes  in 
Western  New- York  ;  who,  through  a  savage  thirst  of  blood, 
were  imbruing  their  tomahawks  in  the  blood  of  those  who 
were  reposing  in  confidence  upon  their  treacherous  friend- 
ship. I  took  down,  at  that  time,  the  speech  of  Red  Jacket, 
the  Seneca  chief,  and  that  of  Cultewigasaw,  or  Black-hoof, 
the  Shawnee  chief.  From  those  manuscripts,  which  are  at 
your  service,*  the  above  statement  is  verified." 

In  the  account  of  tl\e  "  First  Millers  of  Rochester"  it  is 
stated,  on  the  authority  of  the  "  White  Woman,"  that  the 
rancour  of  the  Senecas  and  others  of  the  Six  Nations  could 
with  difliculty  be  repressed  even  after  the  peace  made  be- 
tween Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  after  the  revolu- 
tion (in  1783).  It  is  there  related  that  Allen,  who  built  the 
first  mill  at  the  falls  where  now  stands  the  City  of  Roches- 
ter, was  instrumental  in  preventing  a  foray  of  the  Indians 
upon  the  frontier  settlements — a  deed  for  which  he  was  per- 
secuted by  the  British  from  Fort  Niagara  and  their  Indian 
allies.  The  hostile  feeling,  thus  checked  in  this  quarter, 
found  vent  elsewhere,  as  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Ilosmer  par- 
ticularly shows. 

The  feelings  which  prompted  some  of  the  Six  Nations  to 
unite  with  the  tribes  that  fought  against  Harrison  at  Tippe- 

*  Respecting  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  in  which  some  of  the  Indians 
from  Western  New- York  were  thus  actively  engaged,  Mrs.  Wiliard,  in 
her  "  History  of  the  Republic  of  America,"  says,  "  Menacing  prepara- 
tions and  the  appearance  of  a  combination  liad  been  discovered  among 
the  Indians  on  the  western  frontier,  who,  watching  the  hostile  feelings 
e.tisting  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  considered  this 
a  favourable  opportunity  for  them  to  commence  their  depredations. 
They  accordingly  collected  on  the  Wabash,  and,  under  the  influence  of 
a  fanatic  of  the  Shawnese  tribe,  who  styled  himself  a  prophet,  and  of 
his  brother,  the  famous  chief  Tecumseh,  they  committed  the  usual  atro- 
cities of  their  barbarian  warfare.  Governor  Harrison,  of  the  Indiana 
territory,  was  directed  to  march  against  them  with  a  force  consisting  of 
regulars  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Boyd,  together  with  the  militia 
of  the  territory  ;  and  on  the  7th  of  November  he  met  a  number  of  In- 
dian messengers  at  Tippecanoe,  their  principal  town,  and  a  suspension 
of  hostilities  was  agreed  upon  till  the  next  day,  when  an  interview  was 
to  be  had  with  the  prophet  and  his  chiefs.  Warned  by  the  fate  of  so 
many  American  armies  surprised  and  cut  off  by  the  savages.  General 
Harrison,  aided  by  the  vigilant  Boyd,  formed  his  men  in  order  of  battle, 
and  thus  they  reposed  upon  their  arms.  Just  before  day,  the  faithless 
savages  rushed  upon  the  Americans.  But  their  war-whoop  was  not  unex- 
pected. The  Americans  stood,  repelled  the  shock,  and  repulsed  the 
assailants.  Their  loss  was,  however,  severe,  being  about  180  in  killed 
and  wounded;   that  of  the  Indians  was  170  killed  and  100  wounded." 


THE    SIX   NATIONS.  403 

canoe  in  1811,  operated  still  more  powerfully  at  an  earlier 
period,  and  drove  large  numbers  of  the  Senecas  particularly 
to  combine  westward  with  the  Indian  forces  which  defeated 
the  expeditions  of  Harmar  and  St.  Clair,  and  which  made 
such  a  desperate  struggle  against  General  Wayne.  What 
might  have  been  the  fate  of  Western  New- York  and  its 
early  settlers,  had  not  Wayne  retrieved  the  honour  of  the 
American  arms  by  signally  overthrowing  the  savages,  who 
had  grown  insolent  with  their  victories  over  the  preceding 
commanders,  may  be  inferred  from  the  statement  of  Mr. 
Hosmer,  and  from  the  general  tenour  of  savage  warfare  : — 

"  Prior  to  the  defeat  of  the  Indians  by  General  Wayne," 
says  Mr.  Hosmer  in  liis  answer  to  our  inquiries,  "  our  Gen- 
esee Indians  behaved  very  rudely  ;  they  would  impudently 
enter  our  houses  and  take  the  prepared  food  from  the  tables 
without  leave.  But,  immediately  after  the  event  of  the  bat- 
tle was  known,  they  became  humble  and  tame  as  spaniels. 
It  was  a  fact  known  to  my  father  and  one  or  two  others  of 
the  early  settlers,  that  our  Indians  were  ready  to  rise  upon 
the  frontier  dwellers  of  this  state  as  soon  as  it  should  be 
known  that  the  Indians  had  been  victorious  over  Wayne,  which 
they  did  not  doubt.  This  information  was  communicated 
by  an  American  gentleman  living  at  Newark,  in  Upper  Can- 
ada, high  in  the  confidence  of  the  government,  as  I  have 
learned  since  from  my  father.  The  letters  were  all  care- 
fully destroyed,  and  the  name  of  the  informer  kept  a  secret 
by  Gen.  Israel  Chapin  (then  Superintendent  of  Indian  Af- 
fairs) and  my  father,  to  whom  alone  it  was  known.  They 
kept  the  secret  of  the  peril  which  hung  over  the  country, 
and  risked  themselves  and  their  families  on  the  event,  rather 
than,  by  making  the  fact  prematurely  known,  to  spread  dis- 
may and  break  up  the  early  settlements,  and  thus  retard  the 
onward  march  of  improvement.  The  event  justified  the 
daring  resolution,  and  the  country  prospered.  These  facts 
I  learned  from  my  father,  and  I  have  never  doubted  them. 
My  own  recollection  serves  me  as  to  the  altered  conduct  of 
the  Indians  after  the  battle  westward,  in  which  Wayne  was 
victorious  over  the  savage  tribes  that  defeated  his  predeces- 
sors Harmar  and  St.  Clair." 

The  treaty  of  Greenville,  consequent  upon  the  success- 
ful termination  of  this  campaign,  or  what  is  frequently  de- 
nominated Wayne's  War,  was  concluded  on  the  3d  of  Au- 
gust, 1795.     This  treaty,  the  basis  of  most  of  our  subse- 


404  APPENDIX. 

quent  treaties  with  the  Northwestern  Indians,  was  attended 
by  twelve  tribes ;  some  of  whom,  it  is  believed,  had  never 
before  entered  into  treaty  with  the  United  States.  They 
ceded  an  extensive  tract  of  country  south  of  the  lakes  and 
west  of  the  Ohio,  together  with  certain  specific  tracts,  in- 
cluding the  sites  of  all  the  northwestern  posts,  as  an  indem- 
nification for  the  expenses  of  the  war.  The  stipulations  of 
the  treaty  at  Greenville  continued  unbroken  till  the  battle  of 
Tippecanoe,  a  period  of  sixteen  years,  when  the  influence 
of  British  emissaries  was  again  glaringly  manifested  by  the 
savages. 

"  The  decisive  victory  of  Wayne,"  says  Mrs.  Willard,  in 
her  "Republic  of  America,"  "had  a  salutary  effect  on  all 
the  tribes  northwest  of  the  Ohio,  and  also  upon  the  Six 
ISations."  As  to  the  influence  iji  the  latter  case,  the  testi- 
mony of  Mr.  Hosmer,  of  Avon,  with  which  this  chapter  was 
commenced,  is  fully  accordant  with  the  history  of  the  times. 
Had  the  Indians,  imboldened  by  repeated  successes  over 
Harmar  and  St.  Clair,  added  to  their  triumphs  a  victory 
over  Wayne,  the  insolence  of  the  Senecas  and  the  barbari- 
ties of  the   northwestern    tribes    leave   little  room  to 

DOUBT  what  would  HATE  BEEN  THE  FATE  OF  THE  EARLY 
SETTLERS  OF  WkSTERN  NeW-YoRK. 

The  speeches  of  the  Indian  Chiefs  at  Brownstown  (in 
1816),  corroborative  of  the  assertions  respecting  the  con- 
nexion of  the  Senecas  with  the  Indian  army  in  fighting  the 
forces  of  Harrison  at  Tippecanoe,  have  been  politely  pre- 
sented to  us  by  Mr.  Hosmer. 


ORIGIN    OF   THE    CANAL    SYSTEM.  405 


Note  on  the  Canal  Question. 

Mr.  Hawley  has  in  several  publications  denied  that  he 
ever  heard  from  Mr.  Geddes,  or  from  any  one  else,  the  re- 
mark ascribed  to  Mr.  Gouverneur  Morris,  or  remarks  made 
by  any  other  person  respecting  the  project  of  canalling  by 
the  "  overland  route"  between  Lake  Erie  and  the  Mohawk, 
before  the  date  of  his  own  essays  on  the  subject. 

In  reference  to  the  assertion  of  Mr.  Geddes  that  he  had 
comniunicated  to  Judge  Forman  (as  well  as  to  Jesse  Haw- 
ley) the  information^iven  by  Simeon  De  Witt,  that  Gouver- 
neur Morris  had  suggested  the  project  of  the  Erie  Canal  in 
1803,  Judge  Forman  says — 

"  Gouverneur  Morris  had  travelled  and  seen  canals  in 
other  countries,  and,  no  doubt,  had  bright  visions  of  the  future 
improvement  of  this  country,  and  occasionally  astonished 
his  friends  by  detailing  them  in  conversation  ;  but  it  was 
nowise  probable  that  he  viewed  them  as  works  to  be  accom- 
plished in  his  day,  or,  as  a  patriot,  he  would  have  proposed 
them  to  the  Legislature.  The  surveyor-general  (De  Witt) 
thought  of  those  suggestions  only  to  relate  them  for  their  ex- 
travagance ;  and  Judge  Geddes,  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture at  the  time  he  heard  them,  was  not  so  impressed  by 
them  as  to  offer  any  proposition  to  the  Legislature  on  the 
subject.  His  suggestions,  therefore,  had  produced  no  action  ; 
they  had  literally  sunk  into  the  earth  ;  and,  in  reality,  had  no 
more  effect  in  producing  the  canal  than  the  ancient  poet's 
song  of  the  Fortunate  Islands  beyond  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
had  in  producing  the  discovery  of  America  ;  and  no  man  can 
now  point  out  the  person  who,  had  I  not  done  it,  would  have 
at  once  conceived  the  idea,  appreciated  its  importance,  and 
had  the  moral  courage  to  meet  the  ridicule  of  proposing  so 
■wild  a  measure  in  earnest.  It  might  have  lain  for  years, 
and  at  length  a  canal  been  made  to  Lake  Ontario,  towards 
which  public  attention  was  then  directed,  had  not  the  ice 
been  broken  by  that  resolution,  and  an  impetus  given  to  a 
direct  canal  by  the  discoveries  made  under  it. 

"I  have  ever  felt  that  justice  has  not  been  done  to  the 
importance  of  that  measure  by  those  who  have  written  on 
the  subject,  which  I  can  only  account  for  by  supposing  each 
claimant  of  honour  thought  his  own  share  would  be  the 
greater  by  depreciating  that  of  others,  and  have  sat  still  in 
the  confidence  that  some  impartial  historian  would  discrimi- 
35*  ■-   <■■■■■- 


406  APPENDIX. 

nate  between  the  importanceof  thinking  of  a  thing  and  doing 
it — between  taking  the  first  step  and  any  other  in  the  same 
course.  An  incident  evincive  of  this  spirit  occurred  at  the 
canal  celebration.  The  Rochester  committee  sent  me  an  in- 
vitation to  attend  the  celebration,  with  assurances  of  their 
'  high  consideration'  as  '  the  first  legislative  projector  of  the 
greatest  improvement  of  the  age.'*  I  attended  the  celebra- 
tion at  Rochester,  and  heard  from  the  orator,  in  the  presence 
of  thousands,  a  highly  honourable  notice  of  the  measure  in- 
troduced by  me,  and  the  important  results  growing  out  of  it. 
You  may  appreciate  my  feelings  when,  afterward  reading 
the  printed  oration,  I  found  that  paragraph  suppressed.  I 
have  never  inquired  by  whom  or  for  what  purpose  it  was 
done.     •     *     *     * 

"  As  one  of  a  committee  from  Syracuse,"  continues  Mr. 
Forman,  "  I  attended  the  fete  to  the  mingling  of  the  waters  of 
Lake  Erie  with  the  ocean  off  Sandy  Hook ;  and  from  that 
day  to  the  receipt  of  your  letter,  have  been  attending  to  my 
own  concerns,  satisfied  with  having,  in  any  degree,  contrib- 
uted to  so  great  a  public  benefit,  and  trusting  that  an  impar- 
tial posterity  would  render  to  each  person  concerned  his  just 
meed  of  praise.  Nor  should  I  have  deemed  it  at  all  impor- 
tant to  have  detailed  these  facts,  occurring  since  the  contest 
for  fame  began,  had  not  the  singular  circumstance  occurred 
that  the  origin  of  a  great  public  work,  but  just  completed, 
should  so  soon  be  involved  in  obscurity,  and  the  facts  rela- 
ting to  its  incipient  stages  confidently  denied,  so  that  thou- 
sands who  are  experiencing  the  benefits  of  the  canal  are  in 
doubt  to  whom  they  are  indebted  for  the  boon,  instead  of 
possessing  such  a  clear  statement  of  the  case  as  would  ena- 
ble them  justly  to  appreciate  the  share  each  person  took  in 
it,  from  its  conception  to  its  final  consummation." 

*  Copy  of  the  invitation. — "Rochester,  Oct.  19,  1825. — Dear  Sir: 
It  having  been  mentioned  to  our  committee  of  arrangements  for  cele- 
brating the  completion  of  the  Erie  Canal,  that  the  first  legislatire  pro- 
ceedings ever  had  in  relation  to  this  great  work  were  upon  a  resolution 
offered  by  yourself  in  1808,  as  a  member  of  Assembly  from  the  county 
of  Onondaga,  it  was  instantly  and  unanimously  resolved  to  invite  you  to 
participate  in  the  approaching  celebration,  as  a  guest  of  the  citizens  of 
Rochester.  In  transmitting  the  invitation  of  our  committee,  we  beg 
leave  to  add  assurances  of  our  high  consideration  and  esteem  for  the 
first  legislative  projector  of  the  greatest  improvement  of  the  age. 
"  Very  respectfully  yours, 

"  Vincent  Mathews,  Chairman. 
"  Thublow  Weed,  Secretary. 

"JosHtJA  Forman,  Esq." 


■n-i'Jrv  /dfacir^LUr 


Praun  SJin/r'^ir/A/^r  OTiiidh's  sket^/i^sofJiOc/uvf/er  um^ Ui^stmi  MnlhrA  . 


NATHANIEL  ROCHESTER. 

SERVICES    IN   THE    REVOLUTION  ;     SETTLEMENT    IN    WESTERN    NEW- 
YORK,    ETC. 


Owing  to  the  recent  origin  of  Rochester,  those  who  contributed  to 
its  early  interests  remain  to  behold  and  enjoy  the  results  of  well-di- 
rected enterprise.  The  individual  to  whom  the  city  owes  its  app^la- 
tion  forms,  however,  one  of  the  few  exceptions  to  this  remark,  ine 
name  of  the  venerable  Nathaniel  Rochester  belongs  to  the  honoured 

We  present,  in  the  accompanying  engraving,  his  features  once  more 
to  the  eyes  of  his  fellow-citizens.  It  is  taken  from  an  original  portrait, 
painted  near  the  close  of  his  life.  The  biographical  sketch  which 
follows  is  a  tribute  from  the  same  pen  as  the  notice  published  in  the 
Daily  Advertiser,  and  the  public  eulogy  dehvered  at  the  time  of  his  la- 
mented  decease.  This  may  account  for  the  uncredited  use  ot  the  lan- 
guage  of  those  documents.  The  materials  were  derived  from  personal 
intimacy  with  the  father  of  our  city  and  autobiographical  memoranda 
left  by  him.  As  worthy  of  record,  the  testimonials  of  respect  trom  sev- 
eral of  the  public  bodies  are  subjoined  ;  and  original  letters  in  posses- 
sion of  the  family,  valuable  as  relics  of  their  dislmguished  writers. 

The  family  of  Colonel  Rochester,  as   the  name  mdicates,  was  of 
English  descent,  and  for  three  generations  had  been  resident  in  Vir- 
ginia, in  Westmoreland  county  of  which  state,  on  the  21st  of  Februa- 
ry, 1752,  he  was  born.  .  ,     -.       V      i   J 
The  name  is  familiar  as  that  of  an  ancient  Episcopal  city  situated 
on  the  Medway,  in  the  county  of  Kent ;  and  as  having  constituted  the 
earldom  title  of  John  Wilmot,  celebrated  for  his  dissolute  hfe  and  re- 
pentant death.     It  may  be  remarked,  in  passmg,  as  a  curious  coinci- 
dence, that  the  location  of  the  English  city  bears  a  considerable  resem- 
blance to  our  own ;  and  that  the  original  name  was  derived  trom  the 
most  striking  feature   common  to  both.      The  River  Medway,  corre- 
sponding nearly  in  size  with  the  Genesee,  passes  with  a  strong  and  tur- 
bid current  through  the  town,  the  primitive  name  of  which,  at  its  found- 
ation by  the  ancient  Britons,  was  Dwr-hryf,  signifying  "  a  swift  stream. 
The  present  appellation  is  Saxon,  Hroff-ceaster.     The  first  part,  Hroff, 
is  either  a  contraction  of  Durobnois,  the  Roman  version  of  Dwr-bry}, 
or,  as  Bede  considered,  the  proper  name  of  some  feudal   prince :  the 
latter,  ccaster  (chester),  is  the  term  in  that  language  for  camp.     Col- 
onel Rochester  lived  to  find  himself  the  last  of  the  household  of  huj 
childhood,  one  brother  and  three  sisters  having  joined  his  departed  par 
rents  before  him.     During  his  chddhood,  the  opportunities  for  a  liberal 
education  were  extremely  limited.     The  varied  and  practical  informa- 
tion for  which  the  colonel  was  distinguished  in  private  intercourse,  as 
well  as  in  the  public  trusts  he  so  honourably  filled,  was  the  fruit  of  the 
later  application  of  a  clear  and  vigorous  mind  in  the  intervals  ot  leisure 
afforded  by  a  life  of  no  ordinary  activity  and  vicissitude. 

His  early  destination  was  mercantile,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  he  en- 
tered into  business  in  company  with  Colonel  John  Hamilton,  who  af^ter- 
ward    held  the   consulate  for   the  British  government  m  the  Middle 


408  APPENDIX. 

States.  The  struggle  of  the  colonics  with  the  fatherland  was  then  at 
hand,  drawing  towards  it  all  the  youthful  energy  of  the  country.  The 
political  changes  derangeil  his  commercial  operations,  and,  leaving  thus 
for  him  a  forced  leisure,  enabled  him  to  gratify  his  feelings  with  propri- 
ety, and  identify  himself  with  the  stern  effort  for  freedom.  His  title  of 
lieutenant  colonel  was  no  holyday  grace,  but  the  well-earned  badge  of 
severe  days.  It  enrolled  him  among  the  distinguished  staff  which 
guided  the  operations  of  the  North  Carolina  militia  in  that  eventful 
period.  The  citizen  soldiers  of  those  days  were  far  from  being  mere 
fighting  machines.  They  had  to  think  as  well  as  act.  They  had 
to  identify  themselves  in  all  the  morale  of  revolutionary  movement,  as 
well  as  physically  meet  the  duties  of  its  campaigns.  In  consequence 
of  this,  we  find  Colonel  Rochester,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-three,  a 
member  of  the  "  Committee  of  Safety"  for  Orange  county.  This  of- 
fice involved  responsibility  and  hazard.  The  business  of  the  committee 
was  to  promote  the  revolutionary  spirit  among  the  people  ;  to  procure 
the  supplies  of  arms  and  ammunition  ;  make  collections  for  the  people  of 
Boston,  whose  harbour  was  blockaded  by  a  liritish  fleet,  and  to  prevent 
the  sale  and  consumption  of  East  India  teas.  The  use  of  this  beverage 
then  was  a  test  of  political  principle,  and  stood  in  the  relation  to  patriotic 
fidelity  which  the  few  grains  of  incense  required  to  be  cast  on  the 
altar  of  a  pagan  divinity  did  to  the  constancy  of  the  Christian  martyrs. 
In  1775  the  young  soldier  entered  upon  direct  legislative  duties,  and 
sat  as  member  of  the  piovincial  convention  of  North  Carolina.  A 
memorable  year,  and  a  memorable  body  in  the  spirit  and  etfect  of  their 
measures !  Many  vigorous  acts  were  passed  by  them  to  imbody  the 
continental  troops,  organize  the  minute-men,  arrange  the  militia  system, 
and  devise  new  measures  of  defence.  From  this  convention  Colonel 
Rochester's  first  commis.sion  as  major  of  militia  emanated  ;  and  the 
rapid  progress  of  hostilities  did  not  leave  him  long  v;ithout  an  opportu- 
nity of  testing  his  "maiden  sword."  In  Cumberland  county  resided  a 
number  of  Highland  Scotch,  who  had  followed  the  disastrous  fortunes 
of  the  Pretender,  .and,  in  consequence,  became  exiles  from  their  native 
hills.  An  attempt  was  made  to  connect  these  with  the  English  army, 
then  in  New-York  ;  and  the  British  general,  Alexander  M'Donald,  was 
sent  on  a  secret  mission  among  them  with  this  intention.  His  scheme 
being  carefully  executed,  the  first  intelligence  of  it  was  that  a  thousand 
claymores  were  enlisted  for  the  king,  and  were  marching  for  embarcation 
to  Wilmington.  As  soon,  however,  as  it  was  known  at  Hillsborough, 
Col.  Thackston,  with  a  competent  force,  passed  on  rapidly  in  pursuit 
to  Fayetteville,  then  called  Cross  Creek.  The  enemy  had  left  before 
they  arrived.  Major  Rochester  was  despatched  by  his  commanding 
officer  to  overtake  them  by  forced  marches  before  Gen.  M'Donald  could 
gain  the  transports  waiting  at  the  mouth  of  Cape  Fear  River  to  convey 
them  to  New-York.  At  daybreak,  however,  after  a  march  of  twenty 
miles,  the  general  and  his  Scotch  recruits  were  met  on  the  retreat, 
having  been  intercepted  and  turned  at  Moore's  Creek  bridge  by  Col. 
Caswell,  aftenvard  the  first  governor  of  the  state.  Major  Rochester 
made  prisoners  of  the  whole,  but,  from  scarcity  of  provisions,  was  com- 
pelled to  release  all  except  about  fifty,  who  had  been  appointed  officers 
by  Gen.  M'Donald.  The  rest  were  released  imder  obligation  not  to 
serve  again  during  the  war  ;  which  promise  they  violated  by  joining 
Lord  Cornwallis  on  his  march  through  North  Carolina  in  1782.  The 
captured  officers  were  marched  four  hundred  miles  to  Frederick,  in 


SKETCH    OF   NATHANIEL   ROCHESTER.  409 

Maryland,  and  remained  there  as  prisoners  of  war  until  exchanged. 
In  disarming  the  whole  at  Divo's  ferry,  the  poor  Scotch  relinquished 
their  dirks  with  great  reluctance,  as  they  had  been  handed  down  from 
father  to  son  for  many  generations,  with  all  the  rich  and  mysterious  in- 
terest of  "  auld  lang  syne." 

On  the  return  of  the  subject  of  our  notice  to  headquarters,  he  found 
that  Col.  Martin,  of  the  Salisbury  minute-men,  had  arrived  with  two 
thousand  men ;  and  to  him  the  credit  of  the  capture  is  erroneously  as- 
cribed by  Chief  Justice  Marshall  in  his  "  Life  of  Washington." 

In  1776  Major  Rochester  was  again  a  member  of  the  convention  at 
Halifax.  By  this  body  a  constitution  or  form  of  government  was 
adopted.  By  it,  too,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  and  pay  of  a  colo- 
nel for  the  North  Carolina  line,  consisting  of  ten  regiments,  and  ap- 
pointed commissary  general  of  military  stores  and  clothing.  The  con- 
vention organized  the  government  by  the  appointment  of  governor  and 
other  state  officers  ;  and  directed  an  election  in  November  following 
for  members  of  a  state  legislature.  A  week  or  two  before  this  elec- 
tion took  place,  Col.  R.  was  compelled  by  ill  health  to  resign  his  office 
of  commissary.  This  ill  health  was  the  consequence  of  devoted  atten- 
tion to  its  duties  and  exposure  to  the  action  of  the  climate  in  various 
sickly  parts  of  the  country. 

This  extrication  from  immediate  military  duty  was  hailed  by  his 
townsmen  at  Hillsborough  with  a  claim  upon  him  for  renewed  legisla- 
tive exertions  ;  and,  before  he  reached  home,  his  election  was  secured 
as  member  of  Assembly.  In  this  the  late  Nathaniel  Macon  was  a 
contemporary,  who,  for  a  series  of  more  than  thirty  successive  years, 
filled  a  seat  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States. 

After  the  war,  and  the  resignation  of  the  office  of  clerk  of  the 
court,  which  had  in  the  mean  time  been  given  him.  Col.  Rochester 
again  embarked  in  mercantile  pursuits,  first  in  Philadelphia,  but  perma- 
nently at  Hagerstown,  Maryland.  His  first  associates  in  this  were  Col. 
Thomas  Hart,  father-in-law  to  Hon.  Henry  Clay,  and  James  Brown, 
late  minister  to  France.  In  connexion  with  the  former,  in  1 783,  he  went 
largely  into  the  purchase  and  manufacture  of  wheat,  and  established 
nail  and  rope  factories.  This  laid  the  foundation  of  that  knowledge  of 
water-power  and  its  application  which  induced  the  purchases  subse- 
quently in  Western  New-York,  both  at  Dansville  and  Rochester.  As 
early  as  May,  1785,  the  colonel  visited  Kentucky  to  look  after  lands 
held  by  his  partners  and  himself.  This  was  a  trading  expedition  as 
well,  and  the  profit  realized  on  the  stock  taken  amounted  to  100  per 
cent.  In  the  summer  of  1786  a  violent  sickness  attacked  the  subject 
of  our  memoir,  from  the  constitutional  effects  of  which  he  never  recov- 
ered entirely,  and  was  through  life  subject  to  distress  originating  from  it. 
His  outward  appearance  always  indicated  a  slender  constitution.  Tall 
in  person,  strong  in  feature,  active  in  movement,  and  unwearied  in 
engagements  both  of  mind  and  body,  he  was  at  the  same  time  thin  and 
pallid.  At  a  premature  period  of  life  symptoms  of  age  appeared  ;  and, 
for  some  time  before  his  decease,  he  lost  his  erect  and  soldier-like  car- 
riage, and  became  bent  and  broken.  His  mind  and  temper  were  both 
too  ardent  to  allow  him  to  "rust  out."  High  nervous  energy  carried 
him  successfully  through  enterprises  where  stronger  men  might  have 
yielded,  but  it  could  not  shield  him  from  the  premature  effects  on  the 
physical  frame.  For  many  years  before  his  decease,  a  stranger  would 
35* 


410  APPENDIX. 

have  attributed  to  the  venerable  man  more  years  than  he  had  really 
numbered.  But  to  the  last  would  the  energy  have  been  found  undimin- 
ished. His  feelings  would  flash  up  with  intense  interest  to  political 
themes,  and  enter  warmly  into  projects  of  a  public  nature  for  the  social 
or  pecuniary  advancement  of  our  city.  Habitually,  his  manner  was 
calm  and  thoughtful,  perhaps  with  a  dash  of  sternness — the  conse- 
quence of  early  military  command  and  the  solemn  vicissitudes  of  the  rev- 
olutionary struggle.  IBut  the  prevailing  expression  of  a  small  blue  eye 
and  regular  line  of  features  was  indicative  of  that  of  the  heart  within — 
a  sympathy  with  others,  learned  through  trial,  and  a  willing  activity  to 
aid  them  m  difficulties,  for  which  he  had  been  trained  by  coping  with 
his  own. 

But  to  return  to  the  history.  In  1788  Col.  Rochester  married  So- 
phia, daughter  of  William  Beatty,  Esq  ,  of  Maryland,  who  still  survives, 
the  object  of  the  respect  of  the  community,  and  of  reverent  attachment 
to  the  circle  of  eight  children  and  thirty-six  grandchildren,  who  have  at 
times  been  nearly  all  gathered  in  her  hospitable  dwelling.  Two  years 
after,  Col.  Rochester  took  leave  of  his  public  legislative  life  at  the  south, 
from  dissatisfaction  with  the  intrigue  and  management  which  he  thought 
existed  among  the  members. 

Col.  Rochester's  connexion  with  this  section  of  the  state  dates  as 
early  as  1800.  In  this  year,  while  out  on  a  second  visit  to  Kentucky, 
he  visited  "  West  Genesee,"  where,  however,  he  appears  previously  to 
have  become  the  purchaser  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land. 
This  purchase  had  been  made  with  the  intention  of  removing  to  it  with 
his  family  ;  but,  finding  the  country  very  new,  the  population  rough,  and 
the  locality  sickly,  he  disposed  of  the  land. 

In  the  interval  between  this  time  and  1810,  in  which  Col.  Rochester 
came  as  a  resident  to  Western  New-York,  he  continued  engaged  in 
manufactures  in  Maryland,  and  held  as  public  trusts,  successively,  the 
office  of  sheriff;  president  of  the  Hagerstown  Bank,  with  a  salary  of  one 
thousand  dollars  ;  elector  of  president  in  1808,  at  the  accession  of  Madi- 
son to  that  office,  and  of  George  Clinton  to  that  of  vice-president. 

In  September  of  1800,  immediately  after  the  sale  of  his  former  pur- 
chase. Col.  Rochester,  associated  with  Major  Carroll,  Col.  William  Fitz- 
hugh,  and  Col.  Hilton,  again  visited  Western  New-York.  The  two  first- 
mentioned  gentlemen  purchased  twelve  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Liv- 
ingston county,  and  Col.  Rochester  about  four  hundred  adjoining  theirs, 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty  farther  south  at  Dansville.  In  1802  the 
same  company,  except  Major  Hilton,  returned  to  the  Genesee  to  look 
after  their  lands  and  tenantry,  when  the  "  Hundred-acre  Lot,"  now  in- 
cluded in  our  city,  was  obtained  at  seventeen  dollars  and  fifty  cents  an 
acre.  A  site,  then  a  swamp,  now  a  vigorous  and  beautiful  city  !  —  then 
sustaining  no  human  beings,  and  now  teeming  with  a  population  of  thou- 
sands in  the  midst  of  every  social,  moral,  and  religious  privilege  that  a 
well-regulated  mind  could  desire.  Tiiis  change,  incredible  almost,  as 
contemplated  among  the  associations  of  the  Old  World,  hardly  with  us 
creates  its  just  surprise  and  reflection.  It  is  one  instance  among  hun- 
dreds of  what  can  be  accomplished  where  industry  and  enterprise  are 
suffered  to  hold  on  their  natural  course  ;  where  property  is  protected  by 
just  laws,  but  not  fettered  in  its  appropriation  ;  where  no  artificial  dis 
tinctions  of  society  cramp  its  movements,  and  where  independence  of 
thought  and  action  are  cherished  and  enlarged  by  the  responsible  privi- 
leges of  a  popular  government.     We  suffer,  and  deeply  too,  at  times, 


SKETCH  OF  NATHANIEL  ROCHESTER.      411 

from  the  reaction  of  a  speculation  pushed  to  wildness,  and  of  trade 
distancing  our  substantial  resources.  But  who  can  wonder,  much  less 
blame  1  It  is  the  probation  of  everything  noble  on  earth,  that  it  is  to  be 
developed  by  obstruction  and  restraint.  The  innocent  feelings  have 
their  limit  where  they  lose  by  excess  their  purity.  The  active  ener- 
gies have  their  bounds  where  physical  and  moral  law  stand  alike  ag- 
grieved when  they  are  overpassed.  We  may  have  transgressed  thus 
in  the  enterprise  commercial  and  speculative,  and  committed  an  exten- 
sive fault  in  political  economy,  if  not  in  morality  also.  It  was  virtually 
impossible,  considering  human  nature  under  the  temptation,  it  could  be 
otherwise.  It  is  the  inevitable  consequence  of  great  power  in  connex- 
ion with  imperfect  materials.  The  evils,  it  is  true,  are  very  great.  If 
any  evils  existed,  they  must  be  great.  The  elements  at  work  have  been 
vast,  the  beneficial  results  almost  incalculable.  Less  misfortune  would 
there  have  been  had  there  existed  less  amplitude  of  design  and  hardi- 
hood of  execution.  But  it  would  have  left  regions  as  primitive  forests 
which  now  are  "  fruitful  fields" — rivers  and  streams  to  brawl  to  the 
winds  which  now  are  sources  of  productive  industry  and  communication 
for  tens  of  thousands.  At  the  same  time  with  the  purchase  of  the 
"  Hundred-acre  Lot,"  Col.  Rochester  added  about  three  hundred,  ad- 
joining his  former  tract  in  Livingston  county. 

Before  adverting  to  the  removal  of  Col.  Rochester  and  family,  it  may 
be  interesting  to  present  some  letters  addressed  to  him  as  chairman  of 
certain  public  meetings.  They  show  that,  although  retired  from  the 
Legislature,  his  interest  in  national  politics  was  unabated ;  and  that  he 
retained  with  it  the  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens. 

The  first  is  from  Jefferson,  written  on  his  retirement  from  office  in 
1809,  and  addressed  to  "  Col.  Nathaniel  Rochester"  as  Chairman  of 
the  Republican  Citizens  of  Washington  county,  Maryland,  assembled 
at  Hagerstown,  March  3,  1809  :— 

"  The  aflTectionate  sentiments  you  express  on  my  retirement  from  the 
high  office  conferred  on  me  by  my  country  are  gratefully  received  and 
acknowledged  with  thankfulness.  Your  approbation  of  the  various 
measures  which  have  been  pursued  cannot  but  be  highly  consolatory 
to  myself  and  encouraging  to  future  functionaries,  who  will  see  that 
their  honest  endeavours  for  the  public  good  will  receive  due  credit  with 
their  constituents.  That  the  great  and  leading  measure  respecting  our 
foreign  intercourse  [the  embargo]  was  the  most  salutary  alternative, 
and  preferable  to  the  submission  of  our  rights  as  a  free  and  independent 
republic,  or  to  a  war  at  that  period,  cannot  be  doubted  by  candid  minds. 
Great  and  good  effects  have  certainly  flowed  from  it,  and  greater  would 
have  been  produced  had  they  not  been  in  some  degree  frustrated  by 
unfaithful  citizens. 

"  If,  in  my  retirement  to  the  humble  station  of  a  private  citizen,  I  am 
accompanied  with  the  esteem  and  approbation  of  my  fellow-citizens, 
trophies  obtained  by  the  bloodstained  steel  or  the  tattered  flags  of  the 
tented  field  will  never  be  envied.  The  care  of  human  life  and  happi- 
ness, and  not  their  destruction,  is  the  first  and  only  legitimate  object  of 
good  government. 

"  I  salute  you,  fellow-citizens,  with  every  wish  for  your  welfare  and 
the  perpetual  duration  of  our  government  in  all  the  purity  of  its  repub- 
lican principles.  Thomas  Jefferson. 

"  Monticdlo,  March  31,  1809." 


412  APPENDIX. 

To  the  same  year  belongs  a  letter  from  another  distinguished  man, 
the  successor  of  Jefferson  in  the  presidential  chair.  It  was  written 
shortly  after  Mr.  Madison's  inauguration. 

"  Washin^tnn,  March  17,  1809. 

"  N.  Rochester,  Esq. :  Sir— I  have  receired  your  letter  of  the  6ih  inemnt,  conveying 
the  resolutions  of  a  portion  of  my  fellow-citiiens  of  Washington  county,  ia  the  Stale 
of  Maryland. 

"  Wnile  I  return  my  thanks  for  their  kind  e.tpressions  of  confidence  and  regard,  I 
feel  much  satisfaction  in  observing  the  patriotic  spirit  breathed  by  their  resolutions 
unanimously  adopted. 

"The  situation  of  our  country  jnstly  awakens  the  anxious  attention  of  all  good 
citizens.  Whether  an  adherence  to  the  just  principles  which  have  distinguished  the 
conduct  of  the  I'niled  Slates  towards  the  belligerent  powers  will  preserve  peace 
without  relinquishing  independence,  must  deiveiid  on  the  conduct  of  those  powers  ; 
and  it  will  be  a  source  of  deep  regret  if  a  perseverance  in  their  aggressions  sliould  ba 
encouraged  by  manifestations  among  ourselves  of  a  spirit  of  disaffetiion  towards  the 
public  authority  or  disobedience  to  the  public  measures.  To  any  wlio  may  yield  to 
such  a  spirit,  there  cannot  be  a  more  instructive  example  than  is  found  in  the  anima- 
ting pledges  of  support  flowing  from  the  sensibility  of  the  citizens  of  Washington 
county  for  the  rights  of  the  nation  and  the  efficacy  of  the  laws. 

"  Accept  my  respects  and  friendly  wishes.  Ja.mes  Madison." 

The  introduction  of  one  other  letter  here  will  probably  be  excused, 
not  only  as  an  evidence  of  the  consistent  conduct  of  Colonel  Rochester 
in  support  of  the  administrations  of  Jefferson  and  Madison  during  a  most 
interesting  period  of  American  history,  but  from  its  particular  reference 
to  the  feelings  then  inspired  by  the  promptness  with  which  President 
Madison  resented  the  insult  offered  to  our  government  by  the  British  am- 
bassador. In  explanation  of  the  letter,  it  may  be  slated  that,  "  in  April, 
1809,  a  treaty  was  concluded  with  Mr.  Erskine,  the  British  minister  at 
"Washington,  which  engaged,  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain,  that  the  orders 
in  council,  so  far  as  they  affected  the  United  Slates,  should  be  withdrawn. 
The  British  ministry,  however,  refused  to  ratify  this  treaty  :  they  denied 
the  authority  of  that  minister  to  make  such  a  treaty,  and  immediately 
recalled  him.  His  successor,  Mr.  Jackson,  insinuated,  in  a  correspond- 
ence with  the  secretary  of  state,  that  the  American  government  knew 
that  Mr.  Erskine  was  not  authorized  to  make  the  arrangement.  This 
was  distinctly  denied  by  the  secretary  ;  but,  being  repeated  by  Mr.  Jack- 
son, the  president  declined  all  further  intercourse  with  him."  President 
Madison  writes  : — 

"  Washington,  January  31,  1810. 
"  Sir — 1  have  received  your  letter  of  the  25th,  enclosing  the  unanimous  resolutions 
of  a  meeting  of  citizens  of"  Washington  county,  at  Hagersiown,  on  the  20th  instant, 
approving  the  course  lately  taken  by  the  executive  of  the  United  Slates  with  respect 
to  the  British  minister  plenipotentiary,  and  pledging  their  support  of  the  constituted 
authorities  in  such  measures  as  may  be  required  by  the  unjust  conduct  of  the  bellig- 
erent powers.  It  must  be  agreeable  at  all  times  to  responsible  and  faithful  function- 
aries to  find  their  proceedings  attended  with  the  confidence  and  support  of  their  fel- 
low-citizens ;  and  the  satisfaction  cannot  but  be  increased  by  unanimity  in  declara- 
tions to  that  effect.  Among  the  means  of  commanding  respect  for  our  national  char- 
acier  and  rights,  none  can  be  more  apposite  than  proofs  that  we  are  united  in  main- 
taining both;  and  that  all  hoi)es  will  be  vain  which  contemplate  those  internal  dis- 
cords and  distrusts  from  which  encouragement  might  be  derived  to  foreign  designs 
against  our  safety,  our  honour,  or  our  just  interests.    Accept  my  friendly  respects. 

"  Jamks  Madison. 
"To  N.  RocHRSTER,  Esq.,  Chairman." 

To  return  to  the  history.  In  May,  1810,  Colonel  Rochester  first  be- 
came a  resident  in  Western  New-York,  establishing  himself  in  Dans- 
ville,  Steuben  county.  Here  he  spent  five  years,  and  erected  a  large 
paper-mill,  with  other  extensive  improvements,  and  increased  his  landed 
estate  to  seven  hundred  acres.     In  the  winter  of  1814-15  this  was  dis- 


SKETCH  OF  NATHANIEL  ROCHESTER.     413 

posed  of  for  the  sum  of  twenty-four  thousand  dollars  ;  and  the  colonel 
removed  to  a  large  and  highly-improved  farm  in  Bloomfield,  Ontario 
county.  After  continuing  upon  this  three  years,  at  the  expiration  of 
the  time,  in  April,  1818,  Colonel  Rochester  took  up  his  residence  in 
this  city,  which,  in  the  interim,  had  received  his  name,  and  which  will 
be  to  late  posterities  a  proud  mausoleum  for  his  honoured  memory. 

In  1816  Colonel  Rochester  was  again  an  elector  of  president  and 
vice-president.  In  January,  1817,  he  officiated  as  secretary  of  the  im- 
portant convention  at  Canandaigua  which  urged  the  construction  of  the 
Erie  Canal.  Soon  after,  he  went  to  Albany  as  agent  for  the  petitioners 
for  a  new  county,  but  the  application  failed.  In  1821  he  was  engaged 
in  the  same  business,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  law  for  the  County 
of  Monroe,  to  the  clerkship  of  which,  in  the  following  spring,  he  was 
appointed.  He  was  also  elected  member  of  Assembly  ;  and,  in  conse- 
quence, sat  in  Albany  in  the  winter  of  1822. 

In  the  spring  of  1824  a  law  passed,  granting  a  charter  for  the  "  Bank 
of  Rochester,"  when  Colonel  Rochester  was  appointed  one  of  the  com- 
missioners for  taking  subscriptions  and  apportioning  the  capital  stock. 
In  June  of  the  same  year  he  was  unanimously  elected  president  of  that 
correct  and  vigorous  institution.  The  office  (with  that  also  of  director) 
was  resigned  in  December  following,  it  having  been  originally  taken 
only  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  a  number  of  his  fellow-citizens,  and 
with  the  avowal  that,  as  soon  as  the  bank  was  successfully  in  operation, 
he  must  be  permitted  to  resign.  When  this  resolution  was  carried  into 
effect,  the  colonel  was  only  two  months  from  completing  his  74th  year. 

The  relations  of  Colonel  Rochester  to  this  city,  after  the  period  of 
his  retirement  from  the  bank,  were  those  rather  of  personal  influence 
than  personal  activity.  The  age  and  bodily  infirmity,  however,  which 
restrained  the  latter,  gave  weight  to  the  former.  His  opinions  came 
with  the  experience  of  threescore  and  ten.  His  example  was  en- 
forced by  the  tried  morality  of  a  long  life,  and  the  higher  sanction  of 
religious  conduct  and  hope.  His  disinterested  use  of  the  property  he 
had,  afforded  every  facility  for  a  thrifty  and  prosperous  population. 
From  the  commencement  he  sold  the  lots  on  terms  the  most  liberal,  and 
encouraged  by  his  personal  benefactions  every  plan  of  general  utility. 
Some  are  now  living  in  comparative  affluence  who  not  only  owe  their 
wealth  to  the  increased  value  of  the  real  estate  which  Colonel  Ro- 
chester parted  with  so  liberally,  but  also  to  his  interposition  with  pecu- 
niary relief  in  their  earlier  struggles. 

From  taste  as  well  as  conscientious  feeling,  his  household  was  or- 
dered with  marked  simplicity.  His  dwelling  was  in  harmony  with  his 
own  grave  and  simple  manners.  Everything  of  show  and  luxury  was 
studiously  excluded.  The  writer  has  seen  within  a  year  or  two,  lying 
in  a  carpenter's  shop,  a  strip  designed  as  a  surhase  for  Colonel  Ro- 
chester's parlour.  It  is  panelled  in  a  chaste  and  unassuming  manner, 
and  was  finished  in  that  style  by  the  builder  in  order  to  testify  hia 
respect  for  the  colonel,  although  in  the  contract  it  was  to  be  perfectly 
plain.  When  the  venerable  man  saw  it,  he  thanked  with  great  amenity 
the  worthy  architect,  but  decidedly  resisted  its  being  used.  "It will 
look,"  said  he,  "  like  an  assumption  of  a  better  style  in  my  house  than  my 
neighbours,  and  lead  to  show  and  extravagance  in  our  village  !" 

From  blood,  education,  property,  and  early  associations,  he  might 
have  been  pardoned  had  he  mistaken  a  little,  with  the  majority,  the 
constituents  of  true  dignity — had  he  departed  a  Uttle  from  the  severe 


414  APPENDIX. 

manliness  of  the  republicanism  of  his  boyhood.  But  he  did  not ;  and 
men,  as  they  went  in  with  hearty  welcome,  and  sat  down  by  the  plain 
fireside  of  the  patriarch  ;  as  they  saw  everything  around  frugal  and  un- 
ostentatious to  a  striking  degree  ;  and  as  they  marked  the  consistency 
of  the  man  abroad  and  at  home — caught  the  tone  of  elevated  simplicity, 
and  gradually  circulated  the  frank  hospitality,  unaffected  intercourse,  and 
frugal  living  for  which  we  have  been  distinguished.     Esto  perpetua  ! 

From  the  hallowed  retreat  into  which  the  colonel  now  withdrew,  his 
eye  began  to  look  more  steadily  from  the  things  of  time  to  the  solemn 
future.  He  had  been  always  attached  to  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  at 
an  early  period  was  clerk  of  the  vestry  at  Hillsborough.  Through  his 
long  life  he  retained  these  attachments  ;  and  on  his  removal  to  Ro- 
chester lent  his  aid  at  once  to  the  establishment  of  the  congregation 
known  by  the  name  of  "  St.  Luke's  Church." 

While  Colonel  Rochester  was  a  young  man,  the  sentiments  of  the 
French  Encyclopaedists  found  their  way  to  this  country ;  and  from  the 
false  but  prevalent  opinion  that  the  emancipation  from  civil  bondage 
involved  of  necessity  the  renouncing  the  restraints  of  religion,  many 
eagerly  embraced  the  dangerous  principles.  Republicanism  was  the 
cry  and  avowed  object  of  France  ;  and  as  might  have  been  expect- 
ed in  the  condition  of  her  church,  as  she  shook  off  the  fetters  of  po- 
litical despotism,  she  cast  from  her  also  with  scorn  the  degradation 
of  the  spiritual.  Her  reform  in  both  was  a  maddened  excess.  The 
association  was  fatal  to  many  a  noble-minded  man  who  was  rearing  the 
Temple  of  American  Liberty.  The  strength  of  our  moral  constitution 
resisted  the  action,  and  remained  unimpaired  in  its  essential  strength ; 
but  it  left  its  baneful  effects  in  many  who,  untainted  by  the  venom, 
would  have  been  among  the  best  of  earth,  as  they  were  among  earth's 
most  gigantic  in  intellect  and  daring  in  action. 

For  two  years  this  venerable  man  (then  a  young  major  in  his  coun- 
try's service)  yielded  to  the  seduction,  and  cherished  the  arguments  and 
lessons  of  that  wretched  school.  It  is  a  record  which  we  make  gladly 
to  his  honour,  not  the  least  among  the  independent  actions  of  his  inde- 
pendent life,  that  the  sophistry  could  not  blind  him,  the  license  could  not 
tempt  him,  the  fashion  could  not  intimidate  him.  His  first  leisure  was 
embraced  to  examine  the  evidences  for  the  Book  of  God  ;  and  the  re- 
sult was  a  firm  and  rational  conviction  that  it  was  genuine  and  au- 
thentic— a  revelation  from  God  to  man.  He  ever  after  held  to  its 
doctrines  and  sanctions  with  unfaltering  trust ;  stood  forth  in  its  defence 
against  the  argument  or  the  sneers  of  his  associates  ;  and,  though  not 
experimentally  aware  of  the  deep  power  of  its  transforming  faith,  re- 
spected and  admired  it  in  others,  under  whatever  form  of  government 
or  discipline  it  might  be  presented  to  his  view. 

But,  for  some  time  before  his  decease,  the  convictions  of  the  intel- 
lect became  united  to  the  deep  affections  of  the  heart.  The  religion  of 
his  respect  became  his  daily  engagement ;  and  year  by  year,  as  he  ap- 
proached the  confines  of  the  present  destinies,  his  soul  was  enlarged  to 
know,  cherish,  and  love  the  revealings  of  the  future.  The  house  of 
God  received  him,  while  strength  remained,  a  constant  worshipper. 
At  the  altar  he  knelt  an  humble  recipient  of  its  holy  symbols.  In  the 
closet  he  bent  the  knee  in  frequent  communion  with  the  Father  of  Spirits. 
The  practice  imbodied  what  he  had  before  only  respected  and  admired. 

The  sufferings  of  Col.  R.  during  the  last  months  of  his  life  were 
fearfully  great.     A  chronic  disorder  of  the  most  painful  character  kept 


SKETCH  OF  NATHANIEL  ROCHESTER.      415 

him  in  incessant  distress,  forbidding  him  at  any  time  more  than  an 
hour's  troubled  repose  ;  to  this  was  finally  added  one  anomalous  in  its 
type,  resembling,  more  nearly  than  anything  else,  the  virulent  cases  of 
Eastern  leprosy.  Not  a  spot  of  his  emaciated  frame  was  exempt  from 
this  terrible  cutaneous  affection ;  covered  with  its  ulcers,  blinded,  un- 
able to  move  or  bend  a  joint  without  cracking  the  diseased  skin,  the 
venerable  man  lay  for  weeks,  anxiously  expecting  death,  but  bearing 
his  distress  without  a  murmur.  For  some  hours  before  his  departure, 
pain  and  consciousness  were  both  suspended  by  a  lethargic  sleep,  du- 
ring which  he  ceased  to  breathe — so  gradually,  that  the  moment  of  de- 
cease was  scarcely  known  to  the  large  family  assembled  around  his 
couch.  The  struggle  closed  on  the  morning  of  the  17th  May,  1831, 
which  served  to  bring  out,  before  the  eye  of  child  and  friend,  through 
suffering  far  beyond  the  ordinary  lot  of  care-worn  fourscore,  a  humility 
of  repentance,  a  submissiveness  of  faith,  a  firm  endurance  of  trial,  and 
a  triumph  over  the  fear  of  death,  before  which  they  bent  in  reverent 
admiration,  and  which  form  a  worthy  close  to  a  life  so  useful  and  hon- 
ourable as  his  had  been. 

The  good  old  man  has  gone  from  among  us  !  Long  will  the  sur- 
viving cherish  the  remembrance  of  the  venerable  form,  and  silvered 
locks,  and  easy  dignity  of  the  patriarch.  Long  may  we  cherish  the 
example  of  his  simplicty,  integrity,  disinterestedness,  and  faith.  Filial 
affection  may  build  for  him  the  marble  tomb,  public  gratitude  may  grave 
the  recorded  eulogy,  but  they  are  not  needed.  He  has  erected  his  own 
monument,  splendid  and  enduring  :  it  is  sculptured  by  his  own  hand  ; 
and  we  have  only  to  reply  to  him  who  asks  us  in  what  shrine  it  is  set 
up,  in  the  simple  and  majestic  epitaph  of  England's  proudest  temple — 

"  Si  qu^ris  Monumentum — Circumspice." 


The  feelings  created  among  the  citizens  by  the  death  of  Col.  Rochester  may  be 
inferred  from  an  abstract  of  the  expressions  of  various  public  bodies  : — 

An  extra  meeting  of  the  Corporation  of  Rochester  was  held  to  express  the  regret 
felt  at  the  loss  of  the  "  venerable  Col.  Nathaniel  Rochester,  the  founder  of  the  village." 
The  Corporation  recommended  the  citizens  to  suspend  their  ordinary  business  during 
the  funeral  services,  in  respect,  and  resolved  to  attend  the  funeral  in  a  body.  The 
proceedings  of  the  Corporation,  published  under  the  signature  of  N.  Rossiter  as 
President,  and  Isaac  R.  Elwood  as  Clerk,  expressed  "sympathy  with  the  family  and 
the  public  in  the  loss  which  both  have  sustained  by  the  death  of  so  useful,  so  distin- 
guished, and  so  estimable  a  man." 

The  Vestry  of  St.  Luke's  (F.  Whittlesey,  Sec.)  resolved  that  the  church  should  be 
arranged  with  funereal  emblems,  in  testimony  of  respect  for  the  "  founder  of  the  vil- 
lage, and  one  of  the  earliest  officers  of  the  church,"  &c. 

The  Rochester  Athenaeum,  through  their  Secretary,  L.  A.  Ward,  expressed  their 
"  high  esteem  for  his  many  public  and  private  virtues.  The  remembrance  of  his 
value  to  our  village  as  a  public-spirited  citizen,  to  our  social  institutions  as  a  decided 
and  active  patron,  and  his  integrity  and  uprightness  as  a  man,  will  long  be  among 
our  cherished  recollections."  Col.  R.  was  an  "  early  and  efficient  friend,  and  former 
president  of  the  institution." 

Tlie  Rochester  Bank  adopted  resolutions  reported  by  L.  Ward,  Jr.,  the  President, 
and  J.  Seymour,  Cashier,  sympathizing  with  the  public  in  expressions  of  regret  for 
the  loss  of  Col.  Rochester,  who  was  the  first  president  of  the  institution. 

The  Court  of  Chancery  being  then  in  session,  Addison  Gardiner  presiding  as  Vice 
Chancellor  of  the  Eighth  Circuit,  resolutions  were  adopted  that  the  court  and  bar 
should  adjourn  to  attend  the  funeral  of  the  deceased,  upon  whose  character  some  re- 
marks were  made  by  John  C.  Spencer  and  Simeon  Ford. 

The  field,  staff,  and  line  officers  of  the  several  corps  in  and  around  Rochester — 
Gen.  Oliver  Strong,  Chairman,  and  Major  Amos  Sawyer,  Secretary— resolved,  on  mo- 
tion of  Major  Andrews,  ttiat  they  would  parade  with  their  respective  corps  at  the 
funeral  of  Col.  Rochester— Gen.  Jacob  Gould,  Col.  Newton,  and  Col.  Riley  being 
appointed  a  committee  of  arrangements. 


416  APPENDIX. 

Rochester  at  the  close  of  1826. 

The  astonishing  progress  of  improvement  in  the  ten  years  from  the 
period  whence  the  commencement  of  the  place  may  he  fairly  dated,  caused 
such  inquiry  at  home  and  abroad,  that  Everard  Peck  was  induced  to 
publish  a  Directory,  with  some  interesting  preliminary  sketches  of  the 
origin  and  progress  of  Rochester,  and  other  information  valuable  to  the 
citizen  and  stranger.  In  the  preparation  of  the  work  Mr.  Peck  was  as- 
sisted by  Elisha  Ely  and  Jesse  Ilawley. 

At  our  request,  Mr.  Peck  has  politely  furnished  some  letters  received 
from  two  of  the  most  distinguished  citizens  of  this  state — men  whose 
names,  identified  with  the  history  and  literature  of  our  country,  are  suf- 
ficient inducements  to  the  perusal  of  any  documents  to  which  they  are 
attached.  These  letters  are  copied  here  with  the  confidence  that  their 
contents,  as  well  as  the  character  of  their  authors,  will  fully  justify  their 
publication. 

From  Doctor  MiUhill  to  E.  Peck;  Esq. 

"  New  York,  29th  March,  I82T. 

"Sir — 1  offer  you  my  thankful  acknowledgment  for  the  copy  you  sent  me  (with  a 
polite  letter)  of  the  Directory  lately  publislicd  from  your  press  for  Rochester  vil- 
lage. The  perusal  of  your  work  brings  to  my  recollection  the  wonderful  alteration 
that  has  taken  place,  during  my  own  short  time,  in  the  country  situate  south  of  Lake 
Ontario.  In  1788  I  went,  with  the  commissioners  appointed  by  the  Stale  of  New- 
York,  to  a  treaty  held  with  the  Six  Tribes  at  Fort  Schuyler  (or  Fort  Slanwix).  At 
that  solemn  conference,  the  Indian  right,  with  the  exception  of  certain  reservations, 
to  the  lands  situate  west  and  southwest  of  what  was  then  called  the  Line  of  Property 
between  the  white  and  red  men,  was  purchased  for  the  commonwealth.  There  were 
on  it  a  few  Indian  settlements  and  military  posts ;  but  all  the  rest  of  the  region  now 
constituting  the  great  Western  District,  ijuite  to  Niagara  River  and  Lake  Erie,  was 
in  the  state  of  nature.  I  well  remember  what  a  serious  undertaking  it  was  for  a  small 
party  of  us  to  penetrate  through  the  wilderness  by  the  route  of  Wood  Creek,  Lake 
Oneida,  and  Oswego  River  to  Fort  Oswego,  then  held  by  u  British  garrison,  before 
tlie  surrender  of  the  forts  within  our  territory,  after  the  peace  of  1783,  under  the  sub- 
sequent treaty.  {Oswego  and  soiiio  other  forts  were  held  by  the  British  till  after 
Jay's  treaty  in  1795.]  It  was  my  lot,  after  returning  to  the  place  of  negotiation,  to 
subscribe  as  a  witness  the  important  deeds  confirmatory  of  the  bargain  with  the  In- 
dians. During  the  summer  of  1S09  I  went  the  entire  tour  by  the  customary  track,  as  it 
then  was,  from  Albany  to  Upper  Canada.  I  did  not  visit  the  region  again  until  the 
autumnof  1824,  when  I  travelled  along  the  canal  at  Rochester,  and  went  by  the  Ridge- 
Road  to  Lewiston  ;  and  viewed,  on  my  return  lioni  PresquUe  and  its  vicinity,  the 
vast  works  at  Lockport  then  approaching  their  completion. 

"You  may  form  some  idea  of  my  emotion  when  1  made  my  last  trip,  and  contrasted 
the  actual  apiiearance  of  things  with  their  condition  within  the  reach  of  my  remem- 
brance. The  series  and  aggregate  of  solid  improvement  has  probably  no  parallel  in 
the  history  of  human  emigration  and  seitlement. 

"  As  to  the  village  of  Rochester,  I  became  convinced,  after  a  rapid  survey,  that  it 
was  destined  to  be  the  seat  of  much  population  and  business.  Its  easy  connexion 
with  the  inland  seas  and  with  the  ocean,  added  to  the  fertility  of  the  surrounding 
country  a'nd  the  water-power  for  manufacturing  operations,  render  its  position  pecu- 
liarly favourable  for  the  transaction  of  business,  the  disposal  of  produce,  and  the  em- 
ployment of  capital. 

"  The  handsome  typography  of  the  work  is,  I  presume,  a  companion  of  its  general 
accuracy.  Mr.  Elisha  John.«on's  map  renders  it  additionally  important.  Your  his- 
torical and  statistical  sketches  are  valuable  for  the  distant  reader  as  well  as  the  local 
resident.  Will  you  offer  my  respectful  salutations  to  .Mr.  Ely,  and  receive  a  full 
measure  of  the  same  for  yourself?  SAMUEL  L.  MITCHILL." 

From  Governor  CUntan  to  E.  Peck,  Esq. 

"Albany,  7th  June,  1827. 

"  Sir — I  beg  you  to  accept  my  thanks  for  the  Directory  and  Annals  of  Rochester. 
When  1  saw  your  place  in  1810,  without  a  house,  who  would  have  thought  that  in 
1826  it  would  be  the  source  of  such  a  work?  This  is  the  most  striking  illustration 
that  can  be  furnished  of  the  extraordinary  progress  of  your  region  in  the  career  of 
prosperity.  Surrounded  by  the  blessings  of  nature  and  the  improvements  of  art,  may 
you  continue  to  deserve  them,  and  to  flourish  with  the  progress  of  time  and  in  the  ful- 
ness of  virtue.    I  am,  with  great  esteem,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

'^DE  WITT  CLINTON.